Foreign language teaching anxiety between pre-service and in-service English teachers: A psychological network analysis

Abstract

Foreign language teaching anxiety (FLTA) was reconceptualized as a multidimensional construct, involving both linguistic, target language-related anxiety and non-linguistic, general teaching anxiety. However, the interaction of these two types of anxieties, and the extent to which that interaction differs between pre-service and in-service teachers, remains untapped. To address this gap, this study surveyed 170 pre-service and 186 in-service English teachers. Psychological network analysis was used to visualize intricate interrelationships among linguistic and non-linguistic FLTA dimensions within each group. Results showed that linguistic and non-linguistic dimensions were intricately interconnected within both teacher groups. Notably, self-perception of language proficiency and lack of student interest emerged as the most central dimensions in the pre-service and in-service teacher networks, respectively. Furthermore, network comparison tests identified significant differences in two interrelationships: lack of student interest-fear of negative evaluation, and teaching inexperience-fear of negative evaluation. These results advanced our understanding of FLTA by highlighting its complexity and situational specificity through a complex systems lens. Practical implications for teacher education and instructed second language acquisition were also discussed.