CHAPTER 1
THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND
INTRODUCTION
Change is the only circumstance that no one can control as it happens naturally,
whether to improve or give us a dilemma in our lives. The emergence of the covid-19
pandemic has brought numerous changes in our lifestyle regarding work, travel,
leisure time, tourism, and, most significantly, education. Hence, to be precise, one of
the significant challenges brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic is the educational
system, especially in developing countries like the Philippines. It has resulted in
dramatic changes in education where schools, universities, and institutions
worldwide shut down because of the possible risks brought by Covid-19 that can
affect the health of every citizen globally. The unforeseen event leads to a switch in
terms of the mode of learning and teaching. The Philippines switched to distance
learning from face-to-face learning after lockdowns were implemented in the
country. The shift of distance learning in the country was so sudden that it brought
many challenges for the teachers as well as the students. Research in the Philippines
about the difficulties in distance learning found that there are a number of factors that
lead to the challenges faced by both teachers and learners. First in line was the
problem with the internet connection, limited learning resources, problems with
electricity, overloaded activities, financial and environmental problems, and the poor
communication between teachers and students (Rotas, E. E., & Cahapay, M. B.,
2020). The challenges and changes brought by the pandemic did not remove
students' anxiety in learning, especially in speaking English as a second language. In
the research on Foreign language anxiety by Horwitz, Horwitz, & Cope, 1986), Anxiety
was defined as a feeling and experience of stress, pressure, uneasiness, worry, and
panic that occurs when the nervous system of a person is aroused. Having anxiety
also slows down the possibility of a person succeeding in acquiring information in
different ways, including language learning. Speaking is crucial in learning; speaking
can determine students' level of performance and knowledge about a certain topic or
their abilities in the target language. In the same research, speaking is the most
affected by the negative impact of having anxiety. Second language speaking anxiety
serves as a barrier to developing the skills in communication and is a significant
predictor in terms of oral achievements by students. Not being able to speak the
target language due to stress, eeriness, and anxiety results in poor oral performance.
Speaking to a native speaker of the language is found to be a source of pressure and
anxiety. In addition to the same study, they found that language learners in Japan,
China, and Korea are more frustrated and anxious language learners than other
countries Woodrow, L. (2006). Anxiety has produced many factors resulting in
negative influence on language learning, most especially in the focus of speaking
(Jugo, 2020). However, Filipino learners are not exempted from this kind of situation.
Several pieces of research in the Philippines have proved and found that Filipino
learners also felt anxiety not just by speaking English as a second language but in the
overall learning of the language in the face-to-face learning approach. However,
research studies about speaking anxiety considering online or distance learning in
the local setting are limited. Thus, this study was conducted due to the new approach
that was implemented in the education setting. This is to determine the level of
speaking anxiety felt by Senior High school students enrolled in RTU taking the
HUMSS strand and its effects on their participation in distance learning. Furthermore,
the major factors that trigger students' anxiety in speaking will be explored, and
recommend strategies for teachers to address the issue and for students to cope with
their anxiety in speaking English as a second language.
NOTES:
• COVID-19 pandemic – term COVID should be all caps
• Hence, to be precise – Redundant
• Tense shift: use “led” instead of “leads” for past tense consistency
• There are a number of factors – the ‘a’ before the number should be deleted
• (Horwitz, Horwitz, & Cope, 1986)
- There’s an extra space before "Cope." Also, the closing parenthesis is outside
the sentence.
•