This document discusses the stages of change that adult learners experience when acquiring a new language or skill. It identifies 8 stages: 1) Anxiety about coping with something new, 2) Happiness when help is available, 3) Fear of not being accepted or understanding, 4) Threat to existing beliefs and skills, 5) Guilt over not knowing, 6) Depression from feeling overwhelmed, 7) Gradual acceptance as progress is made, and 8) Moving forward with increased confidence from practice and success. Adult learners may experience language anxiety due to seeing education as something for children or challenges to existing beliefs, but change and dissatisfaction can motivate learning.

1. ADULT LEARNERS
LANGUAGE ANXIETY
In the learner s mind

2. MEMORIES OF SCHOOL
• Education is still seen as something that
happens to children

3. CHALLENGE TO BELIEFS
To admit that we need to learn something
new is to admit that there is something
wrong with our present system.

5. MANAGING CHANGE
• CHANGE is at the heart of learning.
If nothing changes then there is no learning.
• DISSATISFACTION
It is a great motivator
without it change is unlikely.

6. EIGHT STAGES OF CHANGE
1) ANXIETY
“Something new happens.”
The dominant state
of your mind is
“Can I cope?”

7. • TRAIT ANXIETY
an individual’s predisposition
for feelings of tension
and uneasiness.
• SITUATIONAL ANXIETY
which appears only under certain
circumstances.
(MacIntyre and Gardner (1994))

8. 2) HAPPINESS
“Help is at hand.”
“The course sounds good.”
“ There will be people like me.”
“My problems could be
solved.”

9. 3) FEAR
ACCEPTANCE ANXIETY (“Will I be
accepted and liked?”),
ORIENTATION ANXIETY (“Will I
understand what is going on?”),
PERFORMANCE ANXIETY
(“Will I be able to learn what
I have come to learn?”).
(Heron (1989:33))

10. 4) THREAT
“My existing beliefs or levels of skills are not
good enough.”
“The old rules no longer apply.”
“I don´t understand the
new ones”
“It´s the teacher´s fault”.
“He is too young and
inexperienced”

11. 5) GUILT
“This is that I don´t know.” I was the one
who didn´t understand.”
“How stupid I was”
“It was my fault”
Self-belief at stake:
You thought you were
competent but
that was an illusion.

12. 6) DEPRESSION
“It all feels overwhelming.”
“The task seems endless and progress
slow.”
“I have reached a plateau.”
“I have little energy.”
“I feel stuck in a paralysis.”
“I want to quit.”

13. 7) GRADUAL ACCEPTANCE
“I begin to make real progress”.
“The puzzle begins to fit together.”
“I can see what it
would be like to
achieve mastery.”

14. 8) MOVING FORWARD
“I am making faster progress and gaining
confidence.”
“Practice gives me more confidence and
more success.”

17. • Bibliography:
• Rogers, Jenny. “Adults Learning.” Open
University Press. 2007.
• Retrieved from internet:
http://eca.state.gov/forum/vols/vol40/no2/p
28.htm