Language Enjoyment and Anxiety as Determinants of English Language Proficiency of Public Senior High School Students

Abstract

This research aimed to investigate the levels of language enjoyment (LE), language anxiety (LA), and English language proficiency (ELP) among public senior high school students in Santa Maria, Davao Occidental. Furthermore, the study also examined the relationship between LE and LA with ELP, as
well as the significant influence of LE and LA on ELP. The respondents of the study were two hundred seventy Senior High School students drawn out from the total population using stratified random sampling. To collect the relevant data, two adapted survey questionnaires to measure the level of language enjoyment and language anxiety and a standardized language proficiency test were administered to the respondents. The major findings of the study indicated that the level of LE among public senior high school students was low, while the level of LA was high. Additionally, the students' level of ELP was found to be average. The results further revealed a positive relationship between LE and ELP, indicating that higher levels of enjoyment are associated with better English language proficiency. Conversely, an inverse relationship was observed between LA and ELP, suggesting that higher levels of anxiety are associated with lower English language proficiency. Furthermore, the study found that both LE and LA significantly influenced ELP, emphasizing the importance of addressing both dimensions of enjoyment and anxiety in the language classroom to improve language proficiency among learners.