Second Language Anxiety and Oral Communication Performance of Grade 11 Senior High School Students

Abstract

INTRODUCTION

English is the language of international communication. In a nutshell, English becomes the second most important language to students. In today's globalized and interconnected world, being able to communicate and being understood is more crucial than before. The rationale behind teaching language is to teach students to communicate effectively. This action research was conducted to determine the level of second language anxiety of grade 11 senior high students and their oral communication performance at Sta. Teresita National High School with the end view of proposing a plan of action to minimize the second language anxiety among them.

METHODS

A descriptive method of research design was used which aimed to present information on how second language anxiety: communication apprehension, fear of negative evaluation, test anxiety, and anxiety in English class affect the oral communication performance of students in terms of pronunciation, vocabulary, structure, and fluency with correlated data collected through quantitative analysis.RESULTSResults showed that students agreed that they have experienced communication apprehension, somewhat agreed that they have experienced the remaining three categories namely anxiety in English class, test anxiety, and fear of negative evaluation. In terms of oral communication performance, students somewhat agreed that language anxiety affects their oral communication performance. Moreover, there was no significant relationship that existed between the language anxiety and oral communication among the grade 11 students.

DISCUSSIONS

The results demonstrate the notion that there were different types of English language anxiety, and the type of anxiety seemed to be dependent upon the context of interaction and how anxiety in English class, fears of negative evaluation, test anxiety, and communication apprehension affect the oral communication performance of the students. English teachers should acknowledge the existence of the feeling of anxiety in learning particularly in speaking English language and then should take initiatives for its reduction. They should identify individuals with signs of stress and anxiety and apply appropriate strategies to help them counteract their feelings. The proposed action plan should be carefully studied by the administrators and teachers to effect modification before its implementation. A follow-up study should be conducted to determine if there is a marked improvement in this area.