Language Learning Anxiety and Second Language Speaking Performance Among Secondary Students in Cross River State

This study investigates the relationship between language learning anxiety and oral second language performance among senior secondary school students in Cross River State, South South Nigeria, with the objective of identifying the anxiety sources, prevalence levels, and performance impact specific to this Nigerian context. Language learning anxiety is recognised as one of the most significant affective variables in second language acquisition, yet its specific manifestations and performance consequences in Nigerian secondary school English speaking contexts remain empirically underdeveloped. A cross-sectional mixed-methods design was employed, administering the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale, adapted for the Nigerian secondary school context, to 280 SS2 students across ten schools in Calabar Municipal and Odukpani Local Government Areas. Students' oral English performance was assessed through a standardised structured speaking task administered by trained assessors blind to anxiety scores. Correlation and regression analyses examined the relationship between anxiety scores and oral performance. Focus group discussions with 30 students identified the specific anxiety triggers most prominent in the Cross River context. Findings indicate a significant negative relationship between language anxiety and oral performance, with fear of negative evaluation and communication apprehension emerging as the dominant anxiety dimensions. Students from homes where English is used in family communication show significantly lower anxiety than those from exclusively vernacular home language environments. Recommendations include anxiety-reduction techniques for South South Nigerian English teachers, including positive evaluation practices and low-stakes speaking activities. Keywords: language learning anxiety, oral performance, secondary school, Cross River State, second language acquisition.