Motivation, Anxiety and Students’ Performance

The aim of this study was to examine foreign language classroom anxiety and motivation to speak in English as a foreign language with respect to gender and grade level as well as their effects on students' EFL performance. The research sample comprised 160 (middle and high school) students. Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) and the Speaking Motivation Scale were used to collect the data. The results showed that foreign language classroom anxiety and intrinsic motivation were negatively associated with each other, while extrinsic motivation and a motivation were significantly positively associated with foreign language classroom anxiety. Even though there was an insignificant difference between the males’ and females’ motivation to speak English as a foreign language, foreign language classroom anxiety was significantly affected by gender. The outcomes of a one-way MANOVA revealed that grade level had no effect on the combined dependent variables of foreign language classroom anxiety, while it had a significant effect on speaking motivation. Furthermore, the findings indicated that overall intrinsic motivation and intrinsic motivation to experience stimulation were significant predictors of the students’ EFL achievement, whereas communication apprehension as a foreign language classroom anxiety factor was in a negative association with the students’ EFL achievement. The study provides instructors with guidelines on how to make their classrooms an environment conducive to the development of higher levels of speaking motivation and lower levels of anxiety with the aim of improving their students’ performance.