ENGLISH LANGUAGE ANXIETY, COPING STRATEGIES, AND SPEAKING PERFORMANCE OF JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL LEARNERS: A BASIS FOR INSTRUCTIONAL PLAN

The study examined the interrelationship between English language anxiety (ELA), coping strategies, and impromptu speaking performance of Grade 8 learners that served as a basis in developing an instructional plan that helps reduce anxiety and improve learners’ speaking performance. Using a quantitative-correlational research design, data were gathered from 105 randomly selected learners using a five-part structured questionnaire and an impromptu speaking task. Descriptive statistics and inferential analyses were used to analyze the data. The study revealed that learners generally experience a moderate level of English language anxiety according to Horwitz’ et al (1986) Foreign Language Anxiety Classroom Scale (FLCAS). Additionally, despite the frequent use of coping mechanisms, particularly affective and teacher-driven, did not show a significant relationship with speaking performance while communication apprehension was found to have significant negative relationship with the latter. Furthermore, majority of the learners fall under “needs improvement” level of impromptu speaking, suggesting a limited proficiency in spontaneous communication. Moreover, profile variables particularly parents’ monthly income showed significant influence with learners’ ELA. These results imply that improving the learners’ speaking performance requires more than managing anxiety, but rather, experiential kind of interventions that provide sustained opportunities for meaningful use of the English language. From these findings, a proposed instructional plan was developed that addresses the research problems.