Self-perceptions of students towards their speaking anxiety

Abstract

The primary purpose of this research study is to investigate the factors which lead to speaking anxiety among the Grade 6 pupils of Don Manuel H. Gutierrez Elementary School. The two indicators that affect the performance of the pupils are fear of negative feedback anxiety and communicative anxiety. These are investigated by means of a well-known scale Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) developed by Horwitz et al. (1986). The respondents of the study consist of 106 pupils of Don Manuel H. Gutierrez Elementary School. Data are analyzed using descriptive statistics such as mean, standard deviation, and t-test. Results of the study reveal that the fear of negative feedback anxiety factors has the highest mean of 3.27 and a standard deviation of 0.58. This is followed by communication anxiety factors with a mean of 2.95 and a standard deviation of 0.52. Findings also reveal the significant difference between gender and the two indicators mentioned above. The male got a mean of 3.05, and female got a mean of 3.15; there is a mean difference of 0.01. The p- value is 0.338. This research contains a recommendation on how to reduce pupils’ speaking anxiety. The implication of this study shows that there are lots of effects on students’ speaking anxiety.

Keywords: Anxiety, Fear of Negative Feedback, Communication Apprehension.