A case study on how psychological factors affect the individual language production of English as a foreign language for upper secondary students, and how the inclusion of didactics can support these students’ learning.

Abstract: Psychological factors and their appearance in upper secondary English education are the focus of this study to collect knowledge regarding the effects on written and oral language production among upper secondary students. Three specific factors are mainly covered, videlicet depression, stress, and anxiety. This issue was selected because of personal interest, furthermore, to collect knowledge and didactic tools regarding the area. The psychological factors are explained in the study and thereafter explored in the context of upper secondary students, specifically in their English language production. The study targets upper secondary students and the psychological factors affecting their language production in English, therefore the survey research had this specific age group as correspondents. The survey included was constructed to collect the quantitative data necessary to answer the research questions. The study involves suggestions for didactical improvements for teachers to consider in future education to be able to support the students suffering from psychological factors. The results observed a presence of psychological factors in the majority of cases and severe effects of it during language production in English.