The Stress of Learning a New Language

Language learning anxiety, or the stress that accompanies language learning in the classroom, is well-established in the literature (Sparks and Ganschow, 2007; Woodrow, 2006; Truitt, 1995), along with the effect this stress has on academic performance (Coulombe 2000; Saito and Samimy, 1996). Therefore, English language learners may be at an increased risk of higher stress than the average student. This is in accordance with McEwen and Stellar’s (1993) theory of stress, known as the allostatic load.

Following Mason’s (1971; 1975) suggestion of exploring the psychological components behind the biological stress response, McEwen and Stellar (1993) similarly believed that one’s psychological understanding of a situation, whether conscious or unconscious, is the root of all stress and the catalyst for the stress response. In their view, the body’s ability to adapt through stressful events, known as allostasis via the stress response is essential to maintaining homeostasis.

But, as noted by McEwen (1998): When these adaptive systems are turned on and turned off efficiently and not too frequently, the body is able to cope effectively with challenges that it might not otherwise survive. However, there are a number of circumstances in which allostatic systems may either be overstimulated or not perform normally, and this condition has been termed allostatic load or the price of adaptation (p. 33).

Perhaps the increased stress found among language learners may be accounted for by one of the three types of allostatic loads (McEwen, 1998): In the first type, the allostatic system is activated too frequently. Language learners are most likely to be immigrants, who in the majority, face significant daily stressors that “are likely to be pervasive, intense, and lifelong” through the process of acculturation (Smart and Smart, 1995). These stressors, as outlined by Caplan (2007) fall into three categories which include: Instrumental or environmental stressors such as financial stress, language barriers, lack of access to health care, living in unsafe neighborhoods, unemployment, and lack of education; social or interpersonal stressors such as loss of social networks, loss of social status, family conflict, intergenerational conflicts, and changing gender roles; and societal stressors, including discrimination or stigma, legal status, and political, historical forces. Thus, one could theorize that engaging in constant acculturative stress could accumulate and cause an over-activation of allostasis.

The two additional types of allostatic loads identified by McEwen (1998) include the inability to reduce allostatic activity (which has been found to lead to obesity and type-II diabetes), and a failure for the proper mechanisms to respond to stress, thus leading to overcompensation by other mechanisms; for instance, inflammation due to an inadequate release of cortisol. These, however, would not be as applicable in accounting for the mass elevated stress found in the data on language learners and anxiety. In line with the nature of these later tenants, the allostatic load is determined by a multi-system measure including 10 biological parameters testing chemicals released from the neuroendocrine system, autonomic nervous system, and immune system in adapting to stress.