Preživjeti engleski: strah od stranog jezika i inojezična sposobnost kod studenata

This thesis investigates the relationship between foreign language anxiety (FLA) and language aptitude among university students. FLA is a common phenomenon that affects many learners of foreign languages, potentially hindering their progress and proficiency in acquiring a new language. On the other hand, language aptitude refers to an individual's ability to learn a foreign language quickly and easily. The first part of this thesis explores the theoretical framework of FLA and language aptitude, discussing their definitions, components, and measurement methods. The second part presents the results of a study conducted with a sample of 7 first-year students from the Edward Bernays University of Applied Sciences, specifically from the Communication Management and Business Administration programs. The research was conducted in two phases. The first phase occurred in April 2024 at Edward Bernays University, focusing on measuring language aptitude using the LLAMA tests. The second phase assessed FLA using the adapted Croatian-English version of the AMTB instrument. The primary aim of this research was to determine whether there is a significant relationship between language aptitude and FLA. The hypothesis posited that no significant correlation exists between these two constructs, challenging the assumption that high anxiety levels correspond with low language aptitude and vice versa.