Virtual worlds have been described as low anxiety environments (Dickey, 2005), where students may feel “shielded” behind their avatars (Rosell-Aguilar, 2005: 432). The aim of this article is to analyse the evolution of the Foreign Language Anxiety (FLA) levels experienced by a group of participants who used the virtual world Second Life for oral interaction (VW Group). The data gathered was compared to that of a group of students who completed similar oral interaction activities in the traditional classroom (CR Group). The quantitative and qualitative data analysed indicates that the FLA levels of the VW Group decreased as weeks went by and that they were lower than those experienced by the CR Group. The anonymity afforded by the VW had a positive effect on some of the students, who reported increased self-confidence and decreased nervousness. However, the students’ comments suggest that this anonymity may wear off once they feel they know their interlocutor. Anonymity may not be the only reason to explain the decrease in FLA.

中文翻译：

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第二人生口语互动中的外语焦虑水平

虚拟世界被描述为低焦虑环境（Dickey，2005），学生可能会在他们的化身背后感到“被屏蔽”（Rosell-Aguilar，2005：432）。本文的目的是分析一组使用虚拟世界的参与者所经历的外语焦虑 (FLA) 水平的演变第二人生用于口头互动（大众集团）。将收集的数据与在传统课堂（CR 组）中完成类似口头互动活动的一组学生的数据进行比较。分析的定量和定性数据表明，大众集团的 FLA 水平随着时间的推移而下降，并且低于 CR 集团的水平。大众汽车提供的匿名性对一些学生产生了积极影响，他们报告说增加了自信并减少了紧张感。然而，学生们的评论表明，一旦他们觉得自己认识他们的对话者，这种匿名性可能会消失。匿名可能不是解释 FLA 下降的唯一原因。