Anxiety of ESL Students in Business Classes and Their Coping Strategies: An Empirical Study in Cambodia

Abstract

This study sought to examine different dimensions regarding anxiety expressed by English as a Second Language (ESL) students undertaking business courses in English. An inferential sample was drawn from the undergraduate business program of an institution of higher education in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. An anonymous, self-administered questionnaire was utilized to test the variables of gender, location were respondents were raised, their years of studying English, self-assessment of English proficiency, and self-category of academic grade. The study also examined any correlation between self-assessment of difficulty (and consequential anxiety) by course subject and self-assessment of the mathematical highness of each of the course subjects. Finally, it explored potential coping strategies that students considered when studying business. The study found at least partial support for most of the examined variables and also found that the order of the ranking of perceived difficulty of the program’s business courses matched exactly the rank of the assessed mathematical heaviness of the respective courses. Finally, the prioritization of preparation was viewed as the most favorable strategy for coping with anxiety when taking a business course. This is a pioneering effort regarding the study of ESL business students in Cambodia and the study’s results provide beneficial pedagogical insights.