Foreign Language Anxiety and Enjoyment in Two Institutional EFL Contexts at a Saudi University: A Mixed-Methods Study of Face-to-Face and Online Cohorts

This study investigates foreign language classroom anxiety (FLCA) and foreign language enjoyment (FLE) among Saudi EFL university students learning in two institutional contexts, one face-to-face and one online. Using a mixed-methods design, data were collected from 705 students through a questionnaire combining scale measures and open-ended prompts. Quantitative analyses revealed that students in the face-to-face context reported significantly lower anxiety and higher enjoyment than those in the online context, with small-to-moderate effect sizes. Female students reported higher anxiety, while gender differences in enjoyment were smaller. Given the structural alignment among contextual variables, hierarchical regressions were conducted separately within each cohort. Within both cohorts, FLE was positively associated with self-reported English course achievement and FLCA negatively associated with it, with the emotion variables explaining an additional 21–24% of variance beyond demographic controls. The qualitative data identified three principal sources of anxiety: self-perceived low proficiency, fear of error and negative evaluation, and performance-situational triggers. Enjoyment was attributed to cognitive growth and intrinsic interest, teacher and classroom climate, and future-oriented instrumental motivation, with some differences in theme prevalence across cohorts. The findings underline the relevance of both anxiety and enjoyment to course achievement and provide learner-centred evidence about the sources of these emotions in the two institutional contexts.