Typing Chinese: Using Keyboard to Relieve Learners’ Foreign Language Anxiety in Chinese Character Online Learning

Foreign language anxiety (FLA) is an important emotional variable affecting language learning. However, previous research has mainly focused on listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills. Less attention is given to the Chinese character writing system and its emotional impact. This study investigates the effects of typing and handwriting on FLA and learning performance among zero‐proficiency Chinese learners from Myanmar in an online learning context. Adopting an explanatory sequential mixed‐methods design, the research analyzes differences between the two groups through questionnaires, tests, and interviews. The results indicate that the writing medium significantly influences both the level and function of anxiety. Typing generated higher levels of anxiety, and this anxiety was associated with increased concentration and learning engagement. In contrast, handwriting is associated with lower levels of anxiety. However, this anxiety is more likely to be debilitating, reducing learners’ confidence and performance. This study reveals the context‐dependent feature of FLA and demonstrates how writing modalities may modulate its facilitative or debilitating effects. These findings expand FLA theory in non‐alphabetic language learning and digital teaching environments.