Stress and Anxiety declared and revealed by immigrant children and adolescents in context of second language learning and psychological, social and cultural adaptation

Abstract

Variables such as rarely are dealt with in studies directed at a special public of students: immigrants, specially the children, for they are believed to be more unlikely to suffer from these states/reactions, and thus, without direct influence on their learning, mainly in the case of languages acquisition. In the scope of PhD Project, two batteries of tests have been developed, in order to correlate aptitude, motivation, attitudes, anxiety, stress, depression and learning styles, in the context of Second Language learning. It will be our goal to inquire about the influence of those factors, in this work specifically the anxiety, can have in the language learning and psychosocial adaptation on children and adolescents with migratory experience, determining attitudes and behaviours and being able exactly to compromise the “latency” supporter of the neurobiological predisposition of the younger learners in the languages learning/acquisition. Having been already developed an empirical study with Catalan and Spanish students, the results will be presented in what concerns, specifically, to the anxiety scales, regarding the age and gender effects.