Skip to main navigation menu Skip to main content Skip to site footer
Językoznawstwo baner

No. 2/27 (2026)

Articles

Impact of language anxiety on speaking in English in the group of male and female secondary school learners: Comparative analysis

DOI: https://doi.org/10.25312/j.10422  [Google Scholar]
Published: 2026-06-24

Abstract

This article examines the level of foreign language anxiety among secondary school students and explores its association with speaking performance. The article identifies motivational and demotivational factors influencing learners’ engagement in English language learning. Data were collected using a questionnaire adapted from the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale developed by Horwitz in 1986, consisting of sixteen Likert-scale items. Speaking performance was assessed through an oral task, and the obtained scores were compared with questionnaire results. 33 students aged 15–16, including 23 female and 10 male learners participated in the study. The findings indicate that female students reported higher levels of foreign language anxiety than male students. Simultaneously, the female group achieved higher speaking task scores. In the analysed sample, higher anxiety levels co-occurred with better oral performance. Due to the limited and uneven sample size, the results should be interpreted with caution and cannot be generalised.

References

  1. Berthon P.R., Hulbert J.M., Pitt L.F. (1999), To Serve or Create? Strategic Orientations Toward Customers and Innovation, “California Management Review”, vol. 42(1), pp. 37–58. [Google Scholar]
  2. Blume B.D., Baldwin T.T., Ryan K. C. (2013), Communication apprehension: A barrier to students’ leadership, adaptability, and multicultural appreciation, “Academy of Management Learning & Education”, vol. 12(2), pp. 158–172, https://doi.org/10.5465/amle.2011.0127 [Google Scholar]
  3. Boyce C. (2006), Conducting in-depth interviews: A guide for designing and conducting in-depth interviews for evaluation input, Washington: Pathfinder International. [Google Scholar]
  4. Boyce P.M., Harris A., Drobny J.V., Lampe L., Starcevic V., Bryant R.A. (eds.) (2015), The Sydney Handbook of Anxiety Disorders: A Guide to the Symptoms, Causes and Treatments of Anxiety Disorders, Sydney: University of Sydney. [Google Scholar]
  5. Casbarro J. (2003), Test anxiety and what you can do about it: A practical guide for teachers, students, and parents, Washington: National Education Association. [Google Scholar]
  6. Cassady J. (ed.) (2010), Anxiety in schools: The causes, consequences and solutions for academic anxieties, New York: Peter Lang. [Google Scholar]
  7. Cizek G.J., Bunch M. (2007), Standard setting: A guide to establishing and evaluating performance standards on tests, Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. [Google Scholar]
  8. Foa E.B., Franklin M.E., Kozak M.J. (2001), Social phobia: An information-processing perspective, [in:] S.G. Hofmann, P.M. DiBartolo (eds.), From Social Anxiety to Social Phobia: Multiple Perspectives, Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon, pp. 268–280. [Google Scholar]
  9. Harmer J. (2007), The practice of English language teaching, 4th ed., Harlow: Pearson Longman. [Google Scholar]
  10. Hilleson M. (1996), “I want to talk with them, but I don’t want them to hear”: An introspective study of second language anxiety in an English-medium school, [in:] K. M. Bailey, D. Nunan (eds.), Voices from the language classroom: Qualitative research in second language education, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 248–275. [Google Scholar]
  11. Horwitz E.K., Horwitz M.B., Cope J. (1986), Foreign language classroom anxiety, “The Modern Language Journal”, vol. 70(2), pp. 125–132. [Google Scholar]
  12. Horwitz E.K., Young D.J. (eds.) (1991), Language anxiety: From theory and research to classroom implications, Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall. [Google Scholar]
  13. Iqbal A., Ajmal A. (2018), Fear of negative evaluation and social anxiety in young adults, “Peshawar Journal of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences”, vol. 4(1), pp. 45–53. [Google Scholar]
  14. Kazdin A.E. (ed.) (2000), Encyclopedia of psychology, vol. 1–8, Washington, DC: American Psychological Association; Oxford/New York: Oxford University Pres. [Google Scholar]
  15. Kralova Z., Tanistrakova G. (2017), The subtypes of foreign language anxiety, “Slavonic Pedagogical Studies Journal”, vol.6(2), pp. 347–358. [Google Scholar]
  16. Liu M., Huang W. (2010), An exploration of foreign language anxiety and English learning motivation, “Education Research International”, vol. 12(5), https://doi.org/10.1155/2011/493167 [Google Scholar]
  17. Luo H. (2012), Sources of foreign language anxiety: Towards a four-dimensional model, “Contemporary Foreign Languages Studies”, vol. 384(12), pp. 49–61. [Google Scholar]
  18. MacIntyre P.D., Gardner R.C. (1994), The Subtle Effects of Language Anxiety on Cognitive Processing in the Second Language, “Language Learning”, vol. 44(2), pp. 283–305. [Google Scholar]
  19. McCroskey J.C. (1977), Willingness to communicate, communication apprehension, and self-perceived communication competence: Conceptualizations and perspectives, New York: Hampton Press. [Google Scholar]
  20. Mealey D.L., Host T.R. (1992), Coping with test anxiety, “College Teaching”, vol. 40(4), pp. 147–150. [Google Scholar]
  21. Olorunfemi-Olabisi F.A. (2014), Effects of Problem-Solving Technique on Test Anxiety and Academic Performance among Secondary School Students in Ondo State, “IOSR Journal of Research & Method in Education (IOSR-JRME)”, vol. 4, issue 4, ver. IV, pp. 20–26 [Google Scholar]
  22. Oteir I.N., Al-Otaibi A.N. (2019), Foreign Language Anxiety: A Systematic Review, “Arab World English Journal”, vol. 10(3), pp. 309–317, https://dx.doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol10no3.21 [Google Scholar]
  23. Rajitha K., Alamelu C. (2020), A study of factors affecting and causing speaking anxiety, “Procedia Computer Science”, vol. 172, pp. 1053–1058. [Google Scholar]
  24. Schlenker B.R., Leary M.R. (1982), Social anxiety and self-presentation: A conceptualization model, “Psychological Bulletin”, vol. 92(3), pp. 641–669. [Google Scholar]
  25. Seligman M.E.P., Walker E.F., Rosenhan D.L. (2000), Abnormal psychology, 4th ed., New York: W.W. Norton & Company. [Google Scholar]
  26. Smail D. (2015), Illusion and reality: The meaning of anxiety, London: Routledge. [Google Scholar]
  27. Talat K., Aslam N. (2012), Fear of Negative Evaluation and Psychological Distress among Patients of Drug Addiction, “Journal of the Indian Academy of Applied Psychology”, vol. 39(special issue), pp. 44–54. [Google Scholar]
  28. Tóth Zs. (2009), Foreign Language Anxiety: For Beginners Only?, [in:] R. Lugossy, J. Horváth, M. Nikolov (eds.), UPRT 2008: Empirical Studies in English Applied Linguistics, Pécs: Lingua Franca Csoport, pp. 225–246. [Google Scholar]
  29. Watson B.R. (2007), Speaking up in the 21st century: The effects of communication apprehension and internet self-efficacy on use of social networking websites, Master’s thesis, Columbia, MO: University of Missouri-Columbia, Graduate School of Journalism. [Google Scholar]
  30. Zeidner M. (1998), Test anxiety: The state of the art, New York: Plenum Press. [Google Scholar]

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.