Lulut Riana, Yusnita Sylvia Ningrum

EFL students’ anxiety and reading comprehension

Introduction

Efl students’ anxiety and reading comprehension. This review examines EFL students' reading anxiety and its impact on comprehension, identifying causes and effective teaching strategies. Based on Krashen's and Constructivist theories, it guides educators.

Abstract

Reading comprehension is a very important basic skill in learning English as a Foreign Language (EFL), as it strongly supports students' overall academic success. However, many EFL learners struggle to understand reading texts due to emotional barriers, especially anxiety. This article presents a narrative literature review examining the relationship between EFL srudents’ reading anxiety and their reading comprehension. It synthesizes findings from national and international studies published between 2017 to 2025. The review is based on in two theoretical framworks: Krashen’s Affective Filter Hypothesis, which highlights the role of emotional factors, such as anxiety, motivation, and self-confidence in second language acquisition; and Constructivist Learning Theory, which emphasizes the importance of learners actively constructing knowledge through cognitive factors in language learning. The review identifies several common causes of reading anxiety, such as unfamiliar vocabulary, complex sentence structures, low self-confidence, and negative prior experiences. Anxiety not only disrupts reading comprehension but also affects students’ motivation, self-esteem, and willingness to read. The findings highlight the importance of addressing students’ emotional need during reading instruction. Teachers are encouraged to adopt supportive strategies, such as simplifying reading materials, providing encouragement, and fostering a safe environment. This article concludes with a call for further empirical research to explore effective teaching practice that can reduce reading anxiety and enhance comprehension in EFL contexts.

Review

The article, "EFL students’ anxiety and reading comprehension," addresses a critical issue within English as a Foreign Language (EFL) education: the pervasive impact of anxiety on reading comprehension. Recognizing reading as a fundamental skill for academic success, the authors undertake a narrative literature review to synthesize national and international studies published between 2017 and 2025. This review is commendably anchored in two pertinent theoretical frameworks: Krashen’s Affective Filter Hypothesis, which foregrounds emotional factors in language acquisition, and Constructivist Learning Theory, which emphasizes cognitive knowledge construction. This dual theoretical lens provides a robust foundation for understanding the multifaceted nature of reading difficulties among EFL learners. The review effectively identifies several common causes contributing to reading anxiety, including linguistic challenges such as unfamiliar vocabulary and complex sentence structures, alongside affective factors like low self-confidence and negative prior experiences. Critically, the abstract highlights that anxiety's detrimental effects extend beyond merely disrupting comprehension, also significantly impacting students’ motivation, self-esteem, and overall willingness to engage with reading. By integrating findings through the lens of Krashen's hypothesis, the article clearly demonstrates how a heightened affective filter can impede the input necessary for effective language acquisition, while the constructivist perspective implicitly points to how anxiety can prevent active knowledge construction. A significant strength of this review lies in its clear articulation of practical implications for educators. The findings underscore the imperative to address students’ emotional needs during reading instruction, advocating for supportive strategies such as simplifying materials, offering encouragement, and cultivating a safe learning environment. These recommendations are actionable and highly relevant for EFL teachers seeking to mitigate anxiety in their classrooms. The article concludes with a well-placed call for further empirical research, emphasizing the need for studies that explore and validate effective teaching practices specifically designed to reduce reading anxiety and thereby enhance comprehension. This forward-looking approach positions the work as a valuable contribution to both theory and practice in EFL pedagogy.

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