How Are Optimism and Pessimism Related to Learning Anxieties and Defensive Responses in EFL Learning?

Abstract

Self-handicapping, including procrastination, will cause some serious problems in EFL learning. For example, procrastination will lead to their long overdue reports. Self-handicapping will try worming out of students making presentations under color of their feigned tales. It is known that they are related to learning anxieties in EFL learning. In this study, the canonical correlation shows that high pessimistic tendency with low optimistic tendency is positively related to five kinds of learning anxieties. It also shows that high optimistic tendency is positively related to self-handicapping and defensive pessimism. Therefore, it is found that optimistic tendency does not have power to drive away procrastinators and self-handicapping.