F is for Foreign Language Anxiety

Foreign Language Anxiety (FLA) causes significant problems to many language learners. If you have learned a second language, you might have experienced it yourself. Let’s look at what exactly it is, what causes it, whether everyone experiences the same, how this impacts language learning, and of course, how VR can help reduce it.

Key insights

Foreign language anxiety is a big issue for many language learners, and can prevent them from getting enough practice, particularly for speaking.

Virtual reality can help reduce FLA through avatars, playful environments and chatbots.

It’s important to give learners enough time to familiarise themselves with VR so it doesn’t become a cause for FLA itself.

What is Foreign Language Anxiety?

Foreign Language Anxiety (FLA) is the feeling of fear, tension, nervousness or worry that you experience when you are learning a foreign language or have to use it. It can happen in and outside of the classroom. It can be related to any language skill, but is often associated most with speaking and listening skills. 

Tell me more

Even people who are not normally prone to anxiety, can experience FLA because it is situation specific. 

Nobody wants to look stupid or be laughed at, especially if you already feel insecure. If you are an accomplished communicator in your own language, perhaps also successful in life and at work, it can be difficult when you suddenly find yourself in class again and can only express yourself like a child and make mistakes, or don’t understand what somebody says to you. Some people have bad memories from their school times too. 

There can be cultural differences. In some cultures, people grow up with the idea that making mistakes and even failing are part of the learning process. Often sports and competitions are important in these cultures, where it is normal that you will fail repeatedly when training until you succeed. And this idea is then applied to everything else in life from learning to business. 

In other cultures, you might grow up learning that you should only speak when you know you have something important or at least correct to contribute. And making mistakes, particularly in front of others, is seen as embarrassing – something to be avoided.

How can language learning in VR help students with FLA?

Students with FLA might not get enough speaking practice. This is, of course, not helpful when you are learning a language. Language is all about communication and in order to improve your language skills, you have to get as much practice as you can.

A little bit of nervousness can actually be good for learners. If it helps them study and practise more in order not to make as many mistakes in class, for example. Many professional speakers, singers and other performing artists feel stage fright even after years. As long as they can manage it, it can help them perform better. The same can be true for language learners.

But when the anxiety is so high that it prevents students from speaking, they or their teachers need to do something about it. In class, teachers will try to create a class community, support and camaraderie among their students. They might use games; warmers, pair and small group work and many other techniques that can reduce FLA. Virtual Reality can be another ‘tool’ that can help. 

Avatars, playful environment and chatbots to the rescue of students with FLA

Hidden behind an avatar, your real face and emotions don’t show, nobody can see that you are blushing or that your hands are shaking. This alone can help reduce FLA. Learners can also disassociate themselves from the avatar, so that it isn’t them making mistakes but the avatar.

Also, virtual worlds are cartoonish environments that look playful. Just by being in such an environment, students feel less tense and more at ease. There is often more fun and laughter in such environments, so it seems perfectly OK to fool around, try things out, make mistakes, hear laughter and join in.

Generative AI (genAI), such as ChatGPT, which is now often integrated in VR in the form of non-playing characters (NPCs), can also help learners. Particularly learners who feel anxious when speaking with others, even from behind an avatar, can have conversations with such chatbots. A genAI chatbot can be like a non-judgmental, patient speaking partner. You can, for example, practise the language that you know you will learn or use in an upcoming class. You can also use it after class to review the language that you have learned if you feel apprehensive about doing this with a human partner.

Besides avatars, there are also VR apps that show pre-recorded real places and people. Learners don’t need avatars in these apps because they are usually single-user apps and learners ‘interact’ with the recorded people, not live with peers. The dialogues are pre-written and learners can usually only communicate by choosing the right options from those that are provided. They can often use voice to speak the sentences, and are then given automatic feedback.

Hopefully, after a while, you will become less nervous speaking to your human learning partners. 

On the downside: VR itself can cause foreign language anxiety

Beware though that even in VR some students can still feel high levels of FLA. What works for some might not work for others, especially if students still see each other face-to-face in the physical classroom or if the avatars are photorealistic. 

For some students, the VR environment itself can cause increased FLA, particularly when students are new to the environment or even VR itself. This is because learning how to navigate in the environment and how to use the VR controllers to interact with the objects and other avatars can add additional cognitive load or worry. A student might also feel embarrassed for not being able to do things properly and holding others up from learning.

This is why It is important to give students time to learn how to use the VR headset (if one is used) and the platform before the first lesson. For the first lessons particularly, choose platforms and environments that are less distracting.

Example

A language school decides to tackle FLA amongst their students and at the same time give all students more practice opportunities outside class by using a VR app. The lessons are conducted as usual, but when it comes to practising, students can decide if they want to practise with each other or first with the VR app. They can also access the app at home for further practice as many times as they like. The app provides different environments for different skills. Students favourites are the presentation scene, in which they present to a virtual audience, and a job interview scene.

Put your knowledge into action!

Language educator

If you have students with FLA, or some of your students don’t speak up much in class, you could introduce VR into your classes, whether this is online or in the physical classroom. You could, for example, have students do the speaking exercises, such as discussions or role-plays in VR. If you have never used VR before, the easiest would be to take your students to a VR platform that you can all access in the computer browser, tablet or even phone

Language learner

Do you recognise yourself in any of the situations above? Try signing up for a language course that uses VR. There are also language exchange groups on some social VR platforms. 

Edtech company

How easy and intuitive is the navigation of your platform? How much time does it take new users to be so familiar with the controls that they can solely focus on the lessons and interactions?

There are other ways you can design your VR platform or learning experiences to help reduce cognitive load and thus also learners’ FLA. 

This blog post has developed into nearly 2000 words on five pages and is one of the entries in our new book The A–Z of Immersive Language Learning and Teaching in Virtual Reality.

Explore how, why, and when virtual reality and other emerging technologies such as generative AI can support and enhance language learning with The A-Z of Immersive Language Learning and Teaching in Virtual Reality.

This book is essential reading for language educators, curriculum writers, learning experience designers, and EdTech companies seeking to integrate technology with pedagogy and content for best learning outcomes. It will help you gain the knowledge you need to think, plan, and implement immersive learning experiences effectively with VR. By Nergiz Kern and Miranda Novash (2025). More information.

Share…