English Language Teaching Today, July, 2019, 14, 233-250

Language Learning Anxiety as Correlates of Language Performance among Secondary

School Students in Uyo, Nigeria
1
Chinelo Blessing Oribhabor & 2Thompson O. Ewata
1
Department of Guidance & Counselling, Faculty of Arts & Education, The University of Africa,
Toru-Orua, Bayelsa State, Nigeria, [email protected];
2
Department of Linguistics & Nigerian Languages, Faculty of Arts & Education, The University
of Africa, Toru-Orua, Bayelsa State, Nigeria, [email protected]
Abstract
The study examined the relationship between language learning anxiety and performance in the
English language of senior secondary school students in Uyo metropolis, Akwa Ibom State, South-
South Nigeria. The study adopted the survey research design. 1150 Senior Secondary School two
(SSS II) students were randomly selected from 23 public secondary schools. Data was generated
through Questionnaire and Validity of research instrument ensured by three education lecturers'
(two from Guidance and Counselling and one Educational Measurement and Evaluation) expert
judgments. A reliability index of 0.85 was realized using Cronbach's alpha. The students' English
language results in the 2018/2019 academic year served as the students' performance in English
language. The data was analysed using frequency, percentages, mean, standard deviation,
Independent t-test and Pearson Product Moment correlation at 0.05 level of significance. The result
showed that the level of language performance of students used in the study is low since they have
average English language learning anxiety. There is no significant difference in the language
learning anxiety of male and female students sampled and there is a negative relationship between
language learning anxiety and language performance of the students. The study recommends that
teachers should help students learn to cope with anxiety by teaching them the effects of anxiety on
their grades, and concentration.
Keywords: English language, anxiety, correlates, performance, senior secondary school
Introduction
In today's interconnected and interdependent world, learning and mastering a second (L2) or
foreign language, like the English language, has become fundamental in people's personal,
professional and social lives (De Valoes, 2014). This has, in turn, propelled scholars to recognise
among other factors that: “different learners have different levels of education and literacy;
education and schooling systems differ widely around the world; some learners undertake language
study as a hubby and others need to learn the language to earn their livelihoods” (Hinkel, 2011, p.
3). The English language is the most important language in a globalised, interconnected and
interdependent world. It is the second most-spoken language, after Mandarin Chinese which is
concentrated solely in its usage as first language courtesy of the Chinese population (Eberhard,
Simons & Fennig, 2020).
English started as the language of the British Isles and has since moved to the rest of the world as a
native/first language (L1), institutionalised/second language (L2) and foreign language, and
functions as the language of international communication, commerce, aviation, marine,
technology, government, religion and social interactions among others. All these caused by
political-geographical-historical and socio-cultural factors (Crystal, 1997). These numerous
functions English performs in the world accounted for why there are "approximately seventy-five
territories” in the world where it is used (Jenkins, 2015).
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Because of the different locations that the language is used, it has also taken different colourations
due to the first languages of the host communities' interference and has thus brought about terms
like world English(es) which is “an umbrella label referring to a wide range of differing
approaches to the description and analysis of English(es) worldwide” (Kingsley, 2006). This is the
situation English found itself in Nigeria where it is an L2. It is “learnt in schools after the
acquisition of the first language, by the time which habits have been formed and a lot of errors had
become fossilized in the new language” (Awe and Ewata, 2020).
English is the language of wider communication in a multilingual, multicultural and a multi-
religious Nigeria where none of the three major indigenous languages, Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba
want to yield its place for another. In the light of this, English became the official language of
Nigeria. In the education sector, English serves, like in other countries where it is used, all over the
world, as the language of the medium of instruction in all subjects, including itself (Awobuluyi,
1998). English plays a prominent role in the education of the country, at the basic (primary), junior
and senior secondary tiers of education based on the National Policy on Education (Awobuluyi,
NPE, Rev, 2004), at the basic, primary, tier of education.
English is not merely the language of the colonisers, in Nigeria, it has become the language of
interaction and one in which Nigerian cultural, ethical and national values is transmitted in. One
would have expected a higher proficiency of English among students at the senior secondary
school (SSS) level since they have been taught in it at the primary and junior secondary levels,
however, this is not so as the first language “habits have been formed” with a lot of fossilized
errors which is transferred to the L2 (Awe & Ewata). As a result of the fossilized errors brought
from the first language, the average Nigerian SSS student fails to achieve a satisfactory level of
proficiency in English. Learners usually encounter difficulties in the mastery of listening, speaking,
reading and writing in English which results in apprehensive feeling amongst them. This negative
perception affects their understanding of English which in turn affects their academic performance.
The lack of mastery of the English brings about apprehension thus students develop second
language anxiety. Second language anxiety has generated a substantial amount of work in both the
L2 acquisition and general educational psychology literature in the impact of affective factors on
learning. The emphasis on the psychological aspects of language learning came about in the early
1980s with the awareness that the learner is an individual with affective needs and reactions. This
problem has warranted linguists, educators, educational psychologists etc. to devote attention to
affects in L2 acquisition and education in general as anxiety is a major psychological variable in
education (Tobias, 1979).
The linguist and educator, Krashen (1982) in talking about L2 acquisition which is an aspect of
“theoretical linguistics”, came up with a language acquisition theory he classified as “affective
filter hypothesis” (one of the five hypotheses about second language acquisition, p. 2). He posits
that a variety of affective variables relate to success in L2 acquisition (p. 31). We should stress that
these factors do not necessarily affect learning in general. Cross-disciplinary research in disciplines
like sociology and psychology also show that social and affective variables have significant
influence on language achievement (Bernat, 2006). Among the psychological processes that have
received much attention in such studies are affective factors as anxiety, motivation, self-regulation,
and self-efficacy (Ehrman, 2000).
Anxiety which is a state of inner unrest is a general term that can be viewed from different human
perspectives for several emotional state of being of animate beings but is not necessarily
synonymous with fear as it could be positivelyor negatively inclined (Wiedemann, 2015). Whether
 English Language Teaching Today, July, 2019, 14, 233-250

viewed from negative or positive perspectives, both result in unwanted and unpleasant imbalance
in the normal state of mind and body. Anxiety affects how we feel and behave, and can manifest
real physical symptoms. From learning, L2 and foreign perspectives, anxiety often seriously and
negatively affects adult learners in teaching and learning context (Bigdeli, 2010). To Horwitz
(1986), anxiety is a subjective feeling of tension, apprehension, nervousness, and worry associated
with an arousal of the automatic nervous system. Sanders and Wills (2003) see anxiety as “a
complex, multifaceted experience, a feeling which comes flooding into our whole selves, affecting
many different aspects of our being”. It could be said to be the most basic of all human emotions,
whether biologically informed or factor-analytically derived, that is not limited to humans alone
but affects all the species of animals to the extent that it affects the sea slug (physiology-of-anxiety,
2013; Markett, Montag and Reuter, 2016).
In this light, the American Psychological Association (2020) sees anxiety as “emotion
characterized by feelings of tension, worried thoughts and physical changes like increased blood
pressure” which may also include increase heartrate, blood pressure, perspiration, sweating and
trembling. At the same time, Anderson and Bourke (2000 cited in Bigdeli, p. 677) viewed anxiety
as a high-intensity affective characteristic. Though anxiety is a normal part of life as everyone gets
anxious from time-to-time, it can, however, become pathological or a dis-order when it becomes
frequent or chronic and begins to interfere with a person's daily activities such as work, school, or
relationships (Mah, Szabuniewicz and Fiocco, 2016). This means that anxiety will become
problematic when an individual becomes anxious over normal everyday situations which will lead
to “physiological anxiety, worry and social anxiety" (Carey, Devine, Hill and Szûcs, 2017).
There are three types of anxiety: trait anxiety, state anxiety and situation- specific anxiety. They
are commonly grouped under “two complementary concepts: a psychophysiological state (state
anxiety) and a personality trait (trait anxiety)” (Leal, Goes, da Silva and Teixeira-Silva, 2017).
Trait anxiety relates to the short-or long-term personality dispositional trait that is an integral part
of human nature which is relatively stable over time (Markett, et. al, p. 93; Leal, et. al). According
to Mascarenhas and Smith (2011) it is “a relatively stable disposition within the individual to judge
a wide range of environmental events as potentially threatening”. Thus, Scovel (1978) stresses that
anxiety is normal part of the human nature. Gidron (2013), however, cautions that there is no clear
cut distinction between trait and state anxiety as: “Trait-anxious people often experience and
express also state anxiety …”
On the other hand, state anxiety, from the perspective of Spielberger (1983) is “a transitory
emotional state consisting of feelings of apprehension, nervousness, and physiological sequelae
such as an increased heart rate or respiration”. The Oxford reference (2020) takes state anxiety as:
A temporary emotional condition characterized by apprehension, tension, and fear about a
particular situation or activity… accompanied by physiological arousal and observable
behavioural indicators, such as nervous fidgeting, licking the lips, and rubbing the palms of
the hands on a shirt or trousers.
However, unlike the trait anxiety that is a relatively stable personality trait, state anxiety is
transitory and situationally bound (Meijer, 2001).
Situation-specific anxiety is when a learner experiences repeated episodes of state anxiety within
language contexts as it solidifies into a situation-specific anxiety (MacIntyre and Gardner, 1989).
MacIntyre and Gardner (1991) refer to it as the persistent and multi-faceted nature of some
anxieties in the L2 or foreign learning. Thus, this type of anxiety is context-or-situation-specific,
 English Language Teaching Today, July, 2019, 14, 233-250

such as in, taking a test, public speaking, class participation, talking with a foreigner in a foreign
language, solving physical problem etc. (Huang, 2012). Learninganxiety stems from “learners'
unrealistic or erroneous beliefs about language learning” (Zhang and Zhong, 2012). While some
learners think they lack the aptitude or gift to learn a new language (Price, 1991), others believe
that two years or less is sufficient for them to become proficient in another language (Horwitz,
1988). Without estimating the difficulty of the language learning task, they could possibly
experience conflict that would result to anxiety. Language learning anxiety may be experienced
due to linguistic difficulties second or foreign language learners face in learning and using the
target language (Hashmi and Abbasi, 2013). As a result of this, Sadiq (2017) claims that anxiety is
“one of the most significant factors affecting language learning”. This helps drive home the point
that language anxiety is a specific aspect of language acquisition.
English language anxiety is a type of situation-specific anxiety that is specially associated with
English contexts, in speaking, listening, and learning (MacIntyre& Gardner, 1994). Horwitz,
Horwitz, and Cope (1986) explain that the English language anxiety as a distinct and complex
phenomenon of “self-perceptions, beliefs, feeling, and behaviours related to classroom language
learning arising from the uniqueness of the language learning process”. To Kim (2001), it is a
complex of self-perceptions, subjective beliefs, and uneasy feelings that accompany adverse
emotional reactions and cognitive interference characteristic of maladjustment at the intrapersonal
and interpersonal levels, which arises from the sense that one cannot meet one's expectations and
perceived environmental demands. Macintyre and Gardner (1991) describe English language
anxiety as stemming from the negative expectations in English learning. English language anxiety
is a phenomenal issue that is mainly a negative factor in language learning which directly affect the
academic achievement of learners.
In investigating Form 4 students' anxiety and motivation in learning English in government
secondary school, Kuching, Malaysia, Wong (2009), found that scores from a language anxiety
scale showed that 17.5% of the students were at the low language anxiety (LLA) level; 68.4% were
at the moderate language anxiety (MLA) level, and 14.1% were at the high language anxiety
(HLA) level. The study also found that there was no significant gender difference (p > 0.05) in
language anxiety. However, girls were significantly more anxious than boys when it came to
'volunteering answers', 'speaking in English', and 'afraid of being laughed at.' The study also
revealed that high language anxiety (HLA) students reported of less effort at improving their
proficiency in English compared to LLA students.
In their study in anxiety-provoking classroom sources among undergraduate engineering students
at Mehran UET, Pakistan,Bux, Memon, Bhatti, Gopang and Angaria (2019)found that some main
sources of anxiety among fresh engineering students were: (1) test anxiety; (2) apprehension in
communication; (3) fear of negative evaluation; (4) presentation in English;
(5) English language instructor; (6) competitiveness in English language; (7) negative self-
evaluation; (8) individual tasks in classroom; (9) fear of making errors in English classroom; (10)
English language difficulties. Awan, Azher, Anwar and Naz, (2010) investigated the relationship
between foreign language classroom anxiety and the students' achievement in the University of
Sargodha, Pakistan and reported a negative relationship between language anxiety and
achievement. While in the study, Demirdas and Bozdogan (2013), the authors found a statistically
significant negative relationship between foreign language anxiety and language performance.
Halder (2018) explored the relation between English anxiety and academic achievement of the
 English Language Teaching Today, July, 2019, 14, 233-250

students of class XI in Malda District, India. English Language Anxiety Scale developed by the
researcher was applied on 266 male and female students of rural and urban schools. The study
found significant negative correlations between English language anxiety and academic
achievement. In another study, Zheng and Cheng (2018) examined the relationships between
students' foreign language classroom anxiety and cognitive test anxiety and their College English
Test Band 4 (CET-4) performance in Chinese University. Results of the study confirmed that
cognitive test anxiety factor was a significant negative predictor of language achievement. Most
students did not perceive themselves to be very anxious in their university settings, either in
classrooms or in testing situations. However, they did express their anxiety toward English
speaking skills in the classroom.
Oflaz (2019) investigated the relationship between foreign language anxiety, shyness, language
learning strategies, speaking scores and academic achievement of university preparatory students
learning German. The study in addition, aimed to determine how the independent variables predict
the speaking scores. The study revealed that a moderate significant negative relationship (r= -.434)
was present between the students' foreign language learning anxiety and academic achievement.
Besides, a significant and negative relationship (r= -.290) was found between foreign language
anxiety and speaking scores of students.
Al-Shboul, Ahmad, Nordin and Abdel-Rahman (2013) explored the effect of anxiety on EFL
reading skill of EFL students at Yarmouk University, in Jordan. They used observation, semi-
structured interviews and diaries to collect data from six informants with different levels of English
language proficiency. The findings of the study revealed that there were two aspects of foreign
language reading anxiety: personal factor (which contains two main sources of foreign language
reading anxiety: fear of making errors and worry about reading effects) and text feature.
The study of Amirul, Noprival, Masbirorotni, Sutarno, Nelly and Maimunah (2015) investigated
the senior high school students' English language speaking anxiety in Jambi, Indonesia and found
that five major themes were related to students' English language speaking anxiety. The themes
include (1) low speaking skill due to lack of vocabulary and grammar, (2) fear of negative
responses from others, (3) low self-esteem to speak in English, (4) fear of being evaluated by
teachers, and (5) cultural influences to speak English due to a more teacher-centred style. Amirul,
et. al. found out that in the area of gender differences, male students were found to be more adept
than their female counterparts in language learning.
Other previous researches (Pappamihiel, 2001; Selami, 2008) found that female students are
usually more anxious than males in English classes. Pappamihiel (2001) for example found that
while there was no gender difference in ESL classes, Mexican middle school girls were
significantly more anxious about using English in their mainstream classes. Selami (2008), on the
other hand, found that gender was among the factors that had significant effects on both foreign
language anxiety and fear of negative evaluation with Turkish EFL students. The study showed
that female students were more worried about English language tests than male were.
Problem of the Study
English is a compulsory subject at the junior and senior secondary school levels of education, in
Nigeria. This has also informed governments' decision to make a compulsory credit pass in the
subject a prerequisite for admission into all programmes in tertiary institutions in the country. The
importance accorded English in the curricular reflects accurately the vital role it plays in
contemporary society. Unfortunately, an inspection of the Senior Secondary School Certificate
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Examination results in English in the West African Examination Council's (WAEC) examination
between 2012 and 2017 shows a high rate of failure in this subject. Despite the importance
attached to English, and efforts made by stakeholders in the educational sector to optimize the
learning of English as a school subject, students' achievement in English has not been
commensurate to the investment made in it. There has been a fall in students' academic
achievement in English over the years as compared to other subjects in the school system.
Evidence abounds that students have not been doing well in English.
However, there is a general consensus among scholars, educationalists, and educational
psychologists that there is a great influence of affective factors on students' achievement. In fact,
conducting the current study was motivated by two main problems. The first being that there is a
noticeable gap in research conducted on the interrelationship between affective factors and
learning English as an L2 in Nigeria in general, and in AkwaIbom State, in particular. Anxiety has
been a matter of considerable interest in language education since it is a major obstacle to foreign
language learning that the learners need to overcome (Wu, 2010). Johnson (2004) claims that
anxiety 'causes learners' block' while Elyas and Rehman (2018) say anxiety causes negative
performance. Horwitz (2001) asserts that one-third of all foreign language learners experience
some level of language anxiety. Therefore, foreign language anxiety has been a topic of much
interest and research in recent years.
The second factor that gave birth to this study is based on the literature review, it can be concluded
that studies regarding gender differences in language learning anxiety are inconclusive and need
more attention. In order to fill in these gaps, this study attempts to explore the relationship between
students' English learning anxiety and their performance in English.
Purpose of the Study
The main purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between English learning
anxiety and English performance of senior secondary schools students in Uyo Metropolis, Akwa
Ibom State, Nigeria.
Specifically, the study determined:
1. The level of English performance in senior secondary schools in Uyo Metropolis, Akwa
Ibom State, Nigeria.
2. The level of English learning anxiety in senior secondary schools in Uyo Metropolis, Akwa
Ibom State, Nigeria.
3. The difference in the English learning anxiety of male and female senior secondary school
students in Uyo Metropolis, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria.
4. The relationship between English learning anxiety and English performance of senior
secondary school students in Uyo Metropolis, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria.
Research Questions
The study provided answers to the following questions:
1. What is the level of English performance in senior secondary schools in Uyo Metropolis,
Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria?
2. What is the level of English learning anxiety in senior secondary schools in Uyo
Metropolis, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria?
3. Is there any difference in the English learning anxiety of male and female senior secondary
school students in Uyo Metropolis, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria?
 English Language Teaching Today, July, 2019, 14, 233-250

4. Is there any relationship between English learning anxiety and English performance of
senior secondary school students in Uyo Metropolis, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria?
Research questions 3 and 4 (also objective 3 and 4) were hypothesized to become 'Hypotheses 1
and 2' which were tested at 0.05 significant level.
Research Hypotheses
The following hypotheses were tested at 0.05 significance level:
1. There is no significant difference in the English learning anxiety of male and female senior
secondary school students in Uyo Metropolis, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria.
2. There is no significant relationship between English learning anxiety and English
performance of senior secondary school students in Uyo Metropolis, Akwa Ibom State,
Nigeria.
Methodology
The study is conducted through a descriptive survey. The population of the study comprised
52,177 senior secondary school two (SSS2) students in Uyo metropolis, AkwaIbom State,
Nigeria. Fifty students were randomly selected from each of the 23 public secondary schools in
Uyo metropolis which made up the 1,150 students sample for the study. The questionnaire used
to gather data from the students was an adapted English Language Anxiety questionnaire
(ELAQ) by Elyas and Rehman (2018). Cronbach alpha technique was used to determine the
reliability of the questionnaire to get a 0.85 coefficient. The Validity of research instrument was
ensured by two Guidance and Counselling lecturers' and one Educational Measurement and
Evaluation lecturer' expert judgments. To measure English performance of the students in the
study, the researchers collected the students' English results of the 2018/ 2019 academic year.
Descriptive statistical analysis was done using frequencies, percentages, mean and standard
deviation while the inferential statistical analysis involved using independent t-test and Pearson
Product Moment correlation. Hypotheses were tested at the 5% level of significance (p = 0.05).
Results
Research Question One: What is the level of English performance of senior secondary school
students in Uyo metropolis, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria?
Table 1: Description of Students’ Grades on the Mock Examinations in the Selected Schools
Grade Frequency Percentage
A1 3 0.3
B2 8 0.7
B3 7 0.6
C4 24 2.1
C5 29 2.5
C6 43 3.7
D7 387 33.7
E8 439 38.1
F9 210 18.3
Total 1,150 100%
Tables 1 shows the level of students' grades in English Examinations conducted in the selected
schools used in the study. The result shows that only 114 (9.9%) of the respondents passed at
credit level. It could be concluded that the level of English performance of students used in the
 English Language Teaching Today, July, 2019, 14, 233-250

study is low because the percentage score at credit level was less than 50%. The 9.9% was
obtained from the addition of frequency from A1-C6 grade levels on Table 1.
The data is represented in the bar chart below:
Figure 1: Students' Grades in English

Students' Grades in English

439
450
387
400
350
300
Frequency

250 210
200
150
100 43
24 29
50 3 8 7
0
A1 B2 B3 C4 C5 C6 D7 E8 F9
Grade

Source: present study

Research Question Two: What is the level of English performance in senior secondary school
students in Uyo Metropolis, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria?
Table 2: The level of English Learning anxiety in Senior Secondary Schools in Uyo Metropolis,
Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria
S/N Items Mean Standard Decision
Deviation
1 I never feel quite sure of myself when I am speaking 1.68 1.13 Average
English in my class
2 I do not worry about making mistakes in English 1.94 1.2 Average
class
3 I tremble when I know that I’m going to be called on 1.83 1.17 Average
in English class
4 It frightens me when I do not understand what the 1.81 1.81 Average
teacher is saying in English
5 During my English class, I find myself thinking 1.99 1.26 Average
about things that have nothing to do with the course
6 I keep thinking that the other students are better in 2.3 1.29 Average
English than I am
7 I am usually at ease during English tests in my class 1.79 1.06 Average
8 I start to panic when I have to speak without 3.61 2.09 High
preparation in English class
9 I worry about the consequences of failing my 3.35 2.27 High
English class
10 In the English class, I can get so nervous when I 3.5 2.16 High
forget things I know
11 It embarrasses me to volunteer answers in English 3.46 1.45 High
class
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12 I would not be nervous speaking English with native 2.34 1.24 Average
speakers
13 I get upset when I do not understand what the teacher 3.01 1.99 High
is correcting me on
14 Even if I am well prepared for the 1.56 1.11 Average
English class, I still feel anxious about it
15 I often feel like not going to my English class 1.53 0.89 Average
16 I get tensed and nervous when I have to discuss 1.71 1.11 Average
things unfamiliar to me in English
Grand Mean 2.34 1.44 Average
Source: present study
Table 2 presents data on the level of students' English learning anxiety among Senior Secondary
Schools used in the study. The obtainable scores for the response modes of strongly disagree,
agree disagree and strongly agree are 1, 2, 3 and 4 respectively, making 4 the maximum
obtainable mean score for each of the items in the questionnaire. The English learning anxiety
was then graded at three levels: Low= 0-1.49; Average= 1.5-2.49; High= 2.5-4.0. The table
shows a grand mean of 2.34 which means that the students in the study had average English
learning anxiety.
Hypothesis One: There is no significant difference in English learning anxiety of male and
female Senior Secondary School students in Uyo Metropolis, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria.
Table 3: Independent t-test of the difference in the male and female Students' language learning
anxiety
Variable N Mean Standard df t Sig.(p-value)
Deviation
Male 520 22.4 6.97
1148 0.62 0.831
Female 630 22.1 6.8
α= 0.05
Table 3 shows the male respondents' mean= 22.4; standard deviation= 6.97 and the female
respondents' mean= 22.1; standard deviation= 6.8; t= 0.62 and p-value= 0.831. Testing the
hypothesis at the alpha level of 0.05, the p-value is greater than the alpha value, this shows that
there is no significant difference; hence the null hypothesis is retained. This indicated that there
is no significant difference in the English learning anxiety of male and female senior secondary
school students in Uyo Metropolis, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria.
Hypothesis Two: There is no significant relationship between English learning anxiety and
English performance of senior secondary school students' in Uyo Metropolis, Akwa Ibom State,
Nigeria.
Table 4: Pearson Product Moment Correlation of English learning anxiety and English
performance of the selected senior secondary school students' in South-South Geopolitical Zone
of Nigeria
 English Language Teaching Today, July, 2019, 14, 233-250

Variable N r Sig. (2-tailed)

English Learning Anxiety Score
1150 -0.87 0.001
Students’ English Performance
α= 0.05
Table 4 shows the relationship between English learning anxiety and English performance of
senior secondary school students in Uyo Metropolis, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. The table shows
the correlation coefficient of r = -0.87 which means that there is a negative correlation. The table
also shows p- value = 0.001, testing the hypothesis at 0.05 alpha level, the p-value is less than
the alpha value which shows a significant relationship. As a result, the null hypothesis is
rejected. Thus, there is a significant negative relationship between English learning anxiety and
English performance of senior secondary school students' in Uyo Metropolis, Akwa Ibom State,
Nigeria.
Discussion of Findings
Research Question One revealed that the level of English performance of students used in this
study is low. The finding of this study is in agreement with the finding of Ghulam (2018), who
investigated the achievement in English of secondary school students in Rajouri and Poonch
District of Jammu & Kashmir, India and found that the majority of the students have a very low
level of achievement in English as per the standard of the test.
Research Question Two revealed that the students sampled in the study had average English
learning anxiety. The finding of the study is in agreement with the finding of Elaidi (2016), who
investigated foreign language anxiety levels of students studying in the Faculty of English
Language and Literature at Cumhuriyet University, Sivas, Turkey and found that foreign
language anxiety levels of the students were found at moderate level both in the preparatory class
and in the fourth grade.
Hypothesis One revealed that there is no significant difference in the English learning anxiety of
male and female senior secondary school students in Uyo Metropolis, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria.
Though, the male experienced higher level of English learning anxiety than the female. On the
contrary, Razak, Yassin and Maasum (2017) showed in their study that female students
experienced higher level of language anxiety than male students. The finding of this study is also
in line with the finding of Ali & Bin-Hady (2019), who investigated EFL students' anxiety
towards learning English via WhatsApp and found that there is no significant difference between
male and female students' anxiety towards learning English via WhatsApp.
Hypothesis Two result revealed that the relationship between English learning anxiety and
English performance of students in Uyo Metropolis, AkwaIbom State was inverse with r = -0.87.
That is, the relationship between English learning anxiety and English performance of students is
such that as English learning anxiety increases, the English performance of students decreases.
Sani (2016) revealed that there is a relationship between language anxiety and academic
performance in English of the B.Ed. students of SRM University, India. Also, Ali &Fei (2017)
show that there is a negative correlation between language anxiety and academic achievement.
Contrary to this though, Razak, Yassin &Maasum (2017) did not find any significant correlation
between the level of language anxiety and the academic achievement of students.
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Conclusion
The study highlighted the place of English in the school system in Nigeria where it plays a
prominent role as one of the languages of instruction in the primary, junior and senior secondary
schools. The study also stressed that anxiety is present in every human situation and that there is
positive and negative anxiety. It also emphasised, like the previous studies that anxiety is a
pronounced factor in the education sector in general and in L2 and foreign learning in particular.
Based on the findings, we concluded that there is a negative relationship between English
learning anxiety and English performance of students in Uyo Metropolis, Akwa Ibom State,
Nigeria.
Recommendations
Based on the findings and conclusion, the following recommendations are made:
1. To improve students' learning of English in Uyo metropolis, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria,
English Language teachers need to do more than merely teaching theories in class by
adopting relational learning strategies. This would go a long way in improving students'
performance in English Language.
2. Provision should be made for language laboratory for English teaching in each of the
schools in Uyo metropolis. This will improve the performance of students in senior
secondary schools in Uyo metropolis.
3. Discovering the average English learning anxiety among the students used in the study,
teachers should therefore instil self-confidence in their students by stopping any action of
sarcasm in the class and also teach the students the consequences of anxiety on their
grades and concentration.
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