From Classroom to Community: Linking Language Anxiety, Learning Motivation, and Acculturative Stress

Aims and Objectives/Purpose/Research Questions: Research on language learning motivation has mainly focused on the L2 classroom. However, to understand migrant language learners more fully, it is also important to consider how acculturation shapes their learning experiences. Acculturative stress may influence language anxiety (the fear of making mistakes), while learning motivation can play a key role in mediating this relationship. The present study investigates language learning motivation and acculturative stress among German learning migrants in Dresden, Germany. Research questions address whether acculturative stress and motivation can predict language anxiety, whether the perceived expectation to integrate predicts language anxiety, and whether German proficiency can predict language anxiety. It was of particular interest to uncover differential anxiety outcomes across public and classroom settings. Design/Methodology/Approach: To address these questions, the Assessment of Language Motivation and Acculturative Stress (ALMAS) was developed through exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Data and Analysis: German learning migrants ( n = 148) ranging from A1 (beginner) to C2 (fluent) were recruited for optional and anonymous online participation. Data was collected from complete questionnaires and analyzed through ordinary least squares regression (OLS) and structural equation modeling (SEM). Findings: Analyses confirm that some acculturative stress dimensions (social isolation) predict language anxiety across contexts. Integration expectations emerged as a predictor of classroom language anxiety. German language proficiency offsets public language anxiety, but not classroom anxiety. Originality: These findings highlight the importance of addressing sociocultural themes in language education, particularly among migrants. Implications: Language proficiency is often discussed as a general remedy for anxiety and acculturative stress; however, these results demonstrate a more context-dependent connection. Moreover, these findings attest to the limitations of motivation (as extrinsic motivators such as societal pressure have adverse effects), and factors such as integrativeness and instrumentality had no significant offsetting effect on reducing anxiety.