Abstract

This study determined the extent of English Language Anxiety (ELA) and its relationship with the speaking performance skills of Grade 11 students at Pinamalayan School of Science and Technology. This study was conducted in June, 2025. Specifically, it examined test anxiety, communication apprehension, and fear of negative evaluation, and assessed speaking performance in fluency, pronunciation, grammar and syntax, and vocabulary usage. The study employed a mixed-methods explanatory sequential design involving 98 Grade 11 students selected from a population of 130 through proportional stratified random sampling. Data were gathered using a validated researcher-made questionnaire, an analytic speaking performance rubric rated by English teachers, and interviews with selected respondents. Weighted mean, Spearman Rank Correlation Coefficient, and thematic analysis using Creswell’s framework were used. Results showed low manifestations of ELA, with test anxiety obtaining the highest mean (2.43), followed by communication apprehension (2.37), and fear of negative evaluation (2.29). Students’ speaking performance was generally good, with grammar and syntax obtaining the highest mean (2.38), followed by vocabulary usage (2.26), pronunciation (2.25), and fluency (2.19). Significant relationships were found between anxiety dimensions and selected speaking indicators, particularly fluency and pronunciation. Qualitative findings revealed psychological and emotional factors, social factors, and language proficiency challenges as contributors to ELA. Based on the findings, Project SPEECH was proposed as a potential intervention plan designed to address the identified anxiety-related and language proficiency challenges through supportive instruction and scaffolded speaking activities.