Data Collection Instruments

The Questionnaire used in the study is a self-completion form (Robson, 1993). It consists of two parts 1) demographic information and 2) Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale [FLCAS]. In the first part, questions asked for general information such as gender, age, year of study, reasons for choosing to study this major, perceptions of language skills. Part two, the Foreign Language

Classroom Anxiety Scale [FLCAS] was adapted from Horwitz, Horwitz and Cope (1986). The original FLCAS contains 33 items each of which is to be answered on a five-point Likert scale ranging from 1 Strongly Agree to 5 Strongly

Disagree. I changed the scale to the opposite way because I think participants would be more familiar with the highest number representing the highest agreement. Thus it was changed to 1 Strongly Disagree, 2 Disagree, 3 Neither Agree/Disagree, 4 Agree and 5 Strongly Agree. Thus, lower scores indicate lower anxiety while higher scores indicate higher anxiety. Possible scores of the FLCAS range from 33 to 165. All items in the questionnaire were in the original English version and also translated to Thai (See Appendix 5).

FLCAS has been widely used in anxiety research (Aida, 1994; Kitano, 2001; Liu, 2006; Worde, 2003). Aida (1994:158) claims that ―FLCAS is a reliable tool

regardless of whether the language is a European Western language‖. For the internal consistency reliability of the FLCAS, the scale has achieved the

acceptable level. For example, it has demonstrated an alpha coefficient of .93 in Horwitz et al ‘s (1986) study, .94 in Aida‘s (1994) study, .95 in Cheng et al‘ s (1999) study, and .93 in Arnaiz and Guillen‘s (2012) study. The FLCAS is the scale which is used to measure general foreign language anxiety (Arnaiz and Guillén, 2012) and participants‘ levels of language anxiety. Arnaiz and Guillén (2012) point out that twenty of the thirty-three items focus on listening and

speaking skills while the other items are related to general language anxiety. No item in this scale relates to reading or writing skills. Therefore, the FLCAS has a

main focus on oral communicative skill which is quite suitable for this study as it focuses on listening and speaking skills.

3.5.2 Diary

Moon (2006) suggests that the diary can be a vehicle for reflection which can represent a deeply seated orientation or a person‘s particular things that he/she prefers, believes, thinks, or usually does in his/her life. Moreover, it ―represents an accentuation of those right conditions—some guidance, some

encouragement, helpful questions or exercises, and the expectation that journal- writing can have a worthwhile consequence, whether during or at the end of the process, or as a result of both‖ (Moon, 2006: 1). This claim is in line with Bloor and Wood (2006) who state that diary methods as the recording of activities and experiences can be created specifically for the purpose of research and a diary can focus on a particular topic of interest to the researcher. Elliot (1997) also highlights the value of diary research by saying that diaries have the ability to encourage reflection on the part of the respondent.

I decided to use the diary as one of the qualitative methods because I think the diary has many advantages. For example, participants can provide reliable information on situations they experienced without any obstruction as they can express what they went through on their own. It is a suitable instrument

especially for anxious language learners who may feel more relaxed to write ideas down rather than to have a face-to-face communication. Furthermore, this method is very useful because participants regularly record their routines which might be easily forgotten or unnoticed if not documented (Given, 2008) and other

methods, such as interviews, may not be able to elicit these experiences during the data collection process. Finally, a diary can be used to complement interview data in order to gain rich information on their experiences.

Diaries can be in different formats, such as open-ended questions, or specific set of fixed responses (Given, 2008). In this study, participants were provided with five areas to comment on. Besides the date and time, they would express their experience in these five sections (See Appendix 6): (1) their feelings while they were experiencing anxiety in class; (2) the cause or source of their anxiety and the activity they were doing at that time; (3) who contributed to their anxiety; (4) how they controlled their anxiety; and (5) from their own experience on that day, what strategies could help to reduce their anxiety.

3.5.3 Semi-Structured Interview

Having a conversation is another way we get to know other people, to learn about their experiences, their feelings in the world they live in. It is efficient in research studies in that it is a two-way communication. We can ask for more information if we do not understand. As a result, interviews or a conversation with a structure and a purpose can provide more detailed information than questionnaires.

Interviewing as a research method is commonly used in social research. Robson (1993) argues that there are three main types of interviews: (1) the fully structured interview, (2) the semi-structured interview, and (3) the unstructured

interview. The fully structured and semi-structured interviews have some similarity as they both have pre-determined questions. However, they are different in some other features. For example, the semi-structured interview is more flexible because the sequence of questions can be modified according to the researcher‘s perception of what is most appropriate. The interviewer can change question wording and can give explanations. Furthermore, some particular questions which seem inappropriate with an interviewee can be omitted or additional questions can be included (Bryman, 2012; Robson, 1993).

In the current study, semi-structured interviews were used because of their flexibility which is suitable for this study. In other words, interview schedule was prepared from my research questions, but modification, or inclusion of certain questions was allowed. The questions in the interview were used to obtain information about the participants‘ experiences of anxiety in their language learning class. Moreover, it was also used to clarify some points participants wrote in their diaries if they needed more explanation.