The Level of Libyan EFL English Teacher’s Anxiety and its Effect on their Performance
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.65405/8z43cz13Abstract
This study aimed to investigate the level of English language teaching anxiety among faculty members in Libyan universities (Universities of Zawia and Sabratha) and to determine its impact on their job performance. Additionally, it sought to identify differences in anxiety levels based on demographic variables, including gender, age, and years of experience. The study employed a descriptive-analytical methodology , and the research instruments were applied to a sample of (34) faculty members.
The findings revealed that the overall level of teaching anxiety among the sample was generally moderate. The results also indicated a low impact of teaching anxiety on job performance , suggesting that faculty members possess a high capacity to separate psychological stressors from their professional commitments. Regarding demographic variables, statistical tests (T-test and ANOVA) demonstrated no statistically significant differences in anxiety levels attributable to gender , age , or years of experience. This reflects that teaching anxiety is a shared professional phenomenon that transcends individual and occupational backgrounds. The study recommended providing psychological support programs and training workshops to enhance coping mechanisms for the pressures of university teaching
Downloads
References
1. Aburaya, M. Y. (2018). Teaching anxiety among faculty members in Libyan universities and its relationship with some variables. Journal of Educational and Psychological Studies, University of Zawia, Libya.
2. Aydin, S. (2016). A qualitative research on foreign language teaching anxiety. The Qualitative Report, 21(10), 1780-1791.
3. Badr, A. (2014). Origins and methods of scientific research. The Academic Bookshop.
4. Bekleyen, N. (2009). Helping teachers become aware of foreign language learning anxiety. TESOL Quarterly, 43(4), 664-668.
5. Can, W. (2018). Foreign language teaching anxiety: A review of literature. Journal of Language and Education, 4(3), 115-125.
6. El-Zuhairi, I. (2017). Job performance of university professors in light of total quality standards. Dar Al-Fikr Al-Arabi.
7. Fried, L., Mansfield, C., & Dobozy, E. (2015). Teacher emotion research: Introducing a conceptual model to guide future research. Issues in Educational Research, 25(4), 415-441. https://www.iier.org.au/iier25/fried.pdf
8. Gannoun, H., & Deris, F. D. (2023). Teaching Anxiety in Foreign Language Classroom: A Review of Literature. Arab World English Journal, 14 (1): 379- 393. https://dx.doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol14no1.24
9. Goetze, J. (2023). Like student like teacher? Taking a closer look at language teacher anxiety. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 43, 41–55. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0267190523000053
10. Horwitz, E. K., Horwitz, M. B., & Cope, J. (1986). Foreign language classroom anxiety. The Modern Language Journal, 70(2), 125-132.
11. İskender, Y. C., & Savaşçı, M. (2023). Foreign Language Teaching Anxiety of Turkish EFL Teachers, Kastamonu Education Journal, 31(3), 464-483. https://doi.org/10.24106/KEFDERGİ-2023-0019
12. Kunt, N., & Bermudez, A. B. (1996). Foreign language teaching anxiety: A study of student teachers. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Southwest Educational Research Association, New Orleans.
13. Liu, M. & Wu, B. (2021). Teaching Anxiety and Foreign Language Anxiety Among Chinese College English Teachers. Sage Open, 11(2), Article e215824. https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440211016556
14. Liu, M., & Huang, W. (2011). An exploration of foreign language anxiety and English learning motivation. Education Research International, 2011, 1-8.
15. Mercer, S., & Kostoulas, S. (2018). Language teacher psychology. Multilingual Matters.
16. Mughal, M. O., Habib, A., & Shaheen, F. A. (2025). Teaching anxiety and foreign language anxiety among English teachers of colleges in Pakistan. Journal of Distance Education and Research, 5(1), 54–69.
17. Novious, T., & Yawe, M. J. (2021). The Relationship between Anxiety and Teacher in Private Secondary Schools. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 11(11), 2650-2665.
http://dx.doi.org/10.6007/IJARBSS/v11-i11/12874
18. Pathan, H., Aleksandrova, O. I., & Bakhsh, I. (2025). To teach is to get nervous: Teacher anxiety as a multifaceted occurrence in pedagogical practices. Training, Language and Culture, 9(1), 78-91. https://doi.org/10.22363/2521-442X-2025-9-1-78-91
19. Parsons, J. S. (1973). Assessment of anxiety about teaching using the Teaching Anxiety Scale: Manual and research. Paper presented at American Educational Research Association. ERIC ED 079 330.
20. Richmond, V. P., Wrench, J. S., & McCroskey, J. C. (2013). Communication apprehension, avoidance, and effectiveness in the workplace (6th ed.). Allyn & Bacon.
21. ahimi, M. & Modarresi, Gh. (2024). Teacher Emotions, Energy, and Time Perspective in Teacher Success: A Mixed-Methods Study. Journal of Cognition, Emotion & Education, 2(1), 40-54. https://doi.org/10.22034/cee.2023.412453.1010
22. Shehata, H., & Al-Najjar, Z. (2013). Dictionary of educational and psychological terms. Al-Dar Al-Masriah Al-Lubnaniah.
23. Tercan, G., & Akcan, S. (2015). Non-native English language teachers’ language proficiency and its effect on their self-efficacy beliefs. Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies, 11(1), 1-10.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Comprehensive Journal of Science
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
