ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE AND LEARNING

ANXIETY IN ENGLISH OF ELEMENTARY PUPILS IN

TIME OF COVID-19 PANDEMIC

PSYCHOLOGY AND EDUCATION: A MULTIDISCIPLINARY JOURNAL

2023
Volume: 8
Issue: 4
Pages: 384-390
Document ID: 2023PEMJ659
DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.7868099
Manuscript Accepted: 2023-04-26 17:38:14
Psych Educ, 2023, 8(4): 384-390, Document ID: 2023PEMJ659, doi:10.5281/zenodo.7868099, ISSN 2822-4353
Research Article

Academic Performance and Learning Anxiety in English of Elementary Pupils in Time

of COVID-19 Pandemic
Quirr Millendez*
For affiliations and correspondence, see the last page.

Abstract

This study measured the level of learning anxiety in English among Grades 4, 5, and 6 pupils of Kabankalan Catholic College
and its correlation to their academic performance. An adopted and standardized English Learning Anxiety Scale (ELAS) was
administered to determine the level of the participants’ learning anxiety. The descriptive – correlational design examined the
association between the two variables among the 134 purposively selected elementary pupils who are officially enrolled for the
School Year 2021-2022. Results revealed that the level of English learning anxiety among the participants was interpreted as
moderate. However, in terms of family income and study time in English, participants who belong to the rich income level and
those who spent 31-45 minutes of study in the English subject showed low level results. Moreover, the level of academic
performance in English of the participants was interpreted as outstanding. Significant differences were not found in the
variables sex, grade level, family income, and study time in English when it comes to their level of English learning anxiety
and academic performance in English. As per the interpretation of Spearman’s rho correlation which is adapted from Dancey
and Reidy (2004), when the two variables were correlated, the findings presented a very strong relationship with a p- value of
0.731. Thus, the accumulated data suggested that low level of English learning anxiety could generate outstanding results in
the academic performance in English among the pupils during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Keywords: Elementary, Academic Performance, English, Learning Anxiety, COVID-19, Pandemic

Introduction belief that anxiety is a major predictor of academic

The English language has long been recognized as the
universal language since it plays a significant role in
the academic and professional lives of individuals in
the global scope. In point of fact, Filipinos generally
used English in the field of education as its medium of
instruction in schools. This made the English language
a crucial component of the Philippine education
system for it is ingrained in almost every aspect of
communication. However, Maute and Abadiano
(2020), mentioned the difficulty of students in
comprehending the language. It gave them the fear of
being criticized which led them to develop negative
perceptions toward the language that eventually lead to
anxiety. Jugo (2020) asserted that language anxiety is
a major predictor of language learning success since it
builds incapacitating effects on the language learners.
This problem of English learning anxiety became even
worse when the COVID-19 pandemic arose in the
country since young learners had to experience fear,
uncertainties, physical and social isolation, and the
difficulty to adjust in distance learning. These factors
triggered young learners to develop more anxiety in
learning, especially in English as they adjust to the
new normal way of education (Jiao et al., 2020).
Amidst the current crisis faced by the country, the
present researcher agrees with Vitasari’s et al., (2010)
performance among the pupils of Kabankalan Catholic
College (KCC) like most young Filipino learners.
Thus, the researcher was motivated to determine the
level of English learning anxiety of KCC elementary
higher-grade pupils and how it would correlate to their
academic performance in English. In this context, the
researcher aimed to help improve the declining
performance in English of the learners. As the pupils
adapted to the new normal way of learning, there were
still assumptions and uncertainties whether their
anxieties in learning English could either impose a
positive or negative effect on their performance.
Hence, this study was conducted.
Research Questions
This study aimed to determine the level of English
learning anxiety of Grades 4, 5, and 6 pupils of
Kabankalan Catholic College – Elementary
Department during the COVID- 19 Pandemic and how
it correlated to their academic performance in English
for the First Quarter of the School Year 2021-2022.
Specifically, it sought answers to the following
questions:
1. What is the level of English learning anxiety of the
participants when grouped according to sex, grade
level, family income, and study time in English?
2. What is the level of the academic performance in

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Research Article
English of the participants when grouped according to
sex, grade level, family income, and study time in
English?
3. Is there a significant difference in the English
learning anxiety of the participants during the
COVID-19 Pandemic when grouped according to the
same set of variables?
4. Is there a significant difference in the academic
performance in English of the participants when
grouped according to the same set of variables?
5. Is there a significant relationship between the
English learning anxiety and academic performance in
English of the participants?
Literature Review
COVID-19 Pandemic
The COVID-19 Pandemic is one of the most recent
public health emergencies that reached global
concerns. According to Jiao et. al (2020), this viral
respiratory syndrome first emerged in China which
continued to increase the number of its cases and made
health systems from around the world struggle. In
adherence for its immediate prevention, different
establishments such as centers of economic activities,
amusement centers, financial institutions, and most
especially, the educational institutions were forced to
be closed (Khoshaim et al., 2020).
With this, educators and students from all over the
world had to suffer from the ripple effects of
coronavirus as education systems were revamped amid
public health emergencies. Even young learners from
the elementary level are no exemption to the impact of
COVID – 19 Pandemic since they also have to
experience fear, uncertainties, physical and social
isolation, and most of all, the dire need to adjust in
distance learning. These factors trigger young learners
to develop anxiety in learning as they adjust in the new
normal way of education (Jiao et. al, 2020).
Learning Anxiety and Academic Performance
Vitasari, et al (2010) strongly believes that anxiety is a
major predictor of academic performance. This is
supported by Dawood et al., (2016) which insisted that
anxiety is a phenomenon that constitutes a universal
cause of poor academic performance among learners
worldwide. This is connected to the report of the
World Bank about the poor and deteriorating
performance of the Filipino learners in key literacy
subjects including English (Mateo, 2020).
Furthermore, the Philippines also fell seven spots in
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the global ranking of English Proficiency Index from
20th to 27 th place. However, despite the drop in
rankings, the country still received a high proficiency
level in English which implies that Filipino learners
are still capable to improve and be better in English
despite the crisis brought by COVID-19 Pandemic
(Baclig, 2020).
Methodology
This study used descriptive correlational design to
determine the level of English learning anxiety of
KCC elementary pupils through a survey questionnaire
and its correlation to their academic performance in
English during the first quarter of School Year 2021 –
2022.
According to Lemboye (2019), descriptive
correlational research design was relevant when
describing research variables and investigating their
natural relationships or associations. Hence, this
design was also considered applicable since the study
aimed to determine the significant relationship
between the pupils’ English learning anxiety and
academic performance in English.
Participants
The participants of the study were the Grades 4, 5, and
6 pupils of Kabankalan Catholic College – Elementary
Department who were officially enrolled for School
Year 2021- 2022. The total population of the pupils
was 134 where 44, 37, and 53 were from Grades 4, 5,
and 6 respectively.
Middle childhood ranging from 8-11 years old is the
most crucial part in the cognitive and socio-emotional
development of a child. In this stage, children become
better at regulating the expression of their emotion.
However, some children direct negative emotions
which lead to them to develop fear, anxiety and fair to
poor academic performance. Thus, this is a good age
for scientific and research exploration since the ability
to deal with multiple variables emerges at these
specific grade levels.
Instrument of the Study
This study adopted a research instrument from Yim
and Yu’s (2011) English Learning Anxiety Scale
(ELAS). This is a 14-item research instrument which
consists of 2 dimensions – the oral English classroom
anxiety and low self-confidence in English. The
instrument was adopted from the Foreign Language
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Research Article
Classroom Anxiety Scale by Horwitz, Horwitz, &
Cope (1986) then later modified and designed for
primary school students. The research instrument was
given to 573 primary school students from fourth
grades to sixth grades in eight different schools in
order to confirm validity and reliability of the ELAS.
Procedures
In gathering the data of the study, the researcher sent a
letter to the Principal of Kabankalan Catholic College
– Elementary Department seeking permission
regarding the conduct of the study among Grades 4, 5,
and 6 pupils of the Elementary Department and
gaining access to the pupils’ academic records
specifically the class master list and their First Quarter
Grades in English.
Before the conduct of the actual testing, the researcher
also sent a letter to the parents of the selected pupils
informing them that their children will take part in the
study as participants. The researcher also conducted a
meeting with the participants for an orientation
through Google Meet. In the orientation, the researcher
stated and clarified the purpose of the study, gave clear
instructions on how to deal and answer the research
instrument, and assured them the confidentiality of the
data to be collected from the study.
However, there were challenges such as the internet
connectivity that were encountered during the
orientation. Some participants were not able to attend
the virtual orientation due to poor or no connectivity.
With this, the researcher reached out to them through
text messages or phone calls to make sure that they are
also aware about the study.
After being approved by the principal and given
consent by the parents, the researcher distributed the
questionnaires together with their examination test
papers to the participants; the latter were given 5 days
to return the sheets. After conducting the study, the
researcher compiled, checked, and encoded the scores
or results obtained from the conduct of the research
instrument. The data collected was sent to the
statistician for the statistical treatment and analysis of
the results and findings.
Data Analysis
To analyze and generate the results and findings, the
study used the Mean, Standard Deviation, Mann-
Whitney U Test, Kruskal- Wallis Test, and
Spearman’s Rho Test. The study utilized non-
parametric tools since the it opted to use purposive
sampling technique for its participants.
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Ethical Considerations
The application of appropriate ethical principles is
important in all research studies since it serves as the
protection for all human subjects. Thus, ethical
considerations when it comes to the collection process,
handling of the data, storing and safe-keeping, disposal
of data were observed upon the conduct of this study.
Collection Process
The researcher assured the parents and the participants
that all the collected information and personal data
were kept with utmost confidentiality. Since the
participants are minors, consent forms were sent to
ensure that parents give due permission in the
participation of their children in the study.
Furthermore, the participants were guided on how to
deal with the research questionnaire and secured them
of the anonymity of their identities through a virtual
orientation to be conducted by the researcher through
Google Meet.
Storing and Safe-Keeping of Data
On storing and safe-keeping of files and data gathered,
academic records and survey results of the participants
were kept locked in the storage cabinet where
authorized personnel are only allowed to have direct
access.
Disposal of Information
all the data gathered such as the academic records and
survey results were disposed by shredding or burning
the documents based on the availability of disposing
materials in a span of three years after the completion
of the research study.
Result
Level of Pupils’ Learning Anxiety
On the level of learning anxiety in English when
grouped according to sex, the data revealed that male
participants had a mean score of 2.70 while the female
participants accumulated a mean score of 2.77. Both
sexes were interpreted as moderate in the level of
English learning anxiety. This finding showed that
both male and female pupils possess an average fear of
the English language, they are not moderately
confident with their skills in English and they perceive
it as a complex subject. This also implies that their
anxiety in learning English is either good or bad. It
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Research Article
puts them within the borderline from which they could
step up and build positive perceptions toward learning
English both as a language and a subject by the help of
the language teachers through interactive strategies
and innovative methods in teaching English.
Meanwhile, on the level of English learning anxiety
when grouped according to grade level, the Grade 4
level had a mean score of 2.69 while the Grade 5 level
received a mean of 2.75, and the Grade 6 level with
the highest mean of 2.76 among the three levels. This
implies that the level of English anxiety of the
participants is neither low nor high and only stands
within the average level regardless of their academic
levels or progress. It also means that their English
learning anxiety has a chance to delineate if the
language teachers put more emphasis and focus on
targeting the affective states of the pupils when
teaching the English subject.
Moving forward, on the level of English learning
anxiety when grouped according to family income,
those who belonged to the rich income level with a
mean of 1.95 showed a Low level of English learning
anxiety which means that the pupils slightly fear the
English language, confident with their skills in English
and perceive it as an easy subject. Contrarily, all the
remaining income levels garnered a moderate level of
English learning anxiety which can be interpreted that
the pupils in these income levels moderately fear the
English language, not confident with their skills in
English and perceive it as a complex subject. From the
data presented, it implies that the pupils who have
high-income backgrounds usually receive sufficient
support and tend to possess high motivation to learn
the language since they are provided with enough
resources and did not seem to struggle with financial
aspects.
Lastly, on the level of English learning anxiety when
grouped according to study time in English,
participants who studied from 31 – 45 minutes
presented a mean of 1.02 which showed a very low
level of English learning anxiety while the rest
displayed a moderate level of anxiety in learning
English. According to the gathered data, the researcher
implied that studying for an hour or more might be a
stressor for the pupils since they are allocating an
excessive use of their time in accomplishing their
assignments and preparing for their next lessons that
they tend to overwork themselves that in turn could
lead to exhaustion and decrease their motivation.
Moreover, less amount of time spent in studying
English is also a form of a bad study habit which can
initiate the possibility of acquiring moderate to high
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levels of English learning anxiety since pupils tend not
to use their study time wisely which leads them to
become unprepared for their English classes and also
somehow become unmotivated to learn and develop
their language skills. On the other hand, spending a
right amount of time in studying can enable the pupils
to slightly fear the English language, be confident with
their skills in English and perceive it as an easy
subject. Thus, utilizing a good study habit can ease the
levels of anxiety in learning English since it motivates
the pupils to use their time in a right manner and
balance.
Level of Pupils’ Academic Performance
On the level of academic performance in English when
classified according to sex, both sexes showed an
outstanding level of academic performance in English
which can be interpreted that both male and female
learners received excellent remarks in their written
works, performance tasks, and quarterly assessments
in English. However, the male participants generated a
mean score of 90.71 which is lower than the female
participants who display a mean score of 91.89. With
this, the researcher implied that female pupils are
perhaps more competent in academics compared to
male pupils despite the unremarkable gap between
their quarterly grades in English.
Next, on the level of academic performance in English
when grouped according to grade level, all levels
displayed an outstanding academic performance in
English which means that pupils from the three grade
levels received an excellent remark in their written
works, performance tasks, and quarterly assessments
in English. However, despite having garnered the same
level of performance, the Grade 4 level got the highest
mean score of 91.65. Conjointly, it is showed that the
grade 4 pupils garnered the highest mean score
compared to grade 5 and grade 6 pupils. As agreed by
Panagouli et. al (2021), they mentioned that younger
students faced more difficulties during online learning;
however, they presented more enthusiasm for learning
materials because they were more creative and
interactive leading to a high academic performance.
Concurrently, the results seemed to reject the findings
of some other researchers like Aguirre and Legaspi
(2020) who claimed that older learners are more
capable of performing well in academics than the
younger ones.
Moreover, on the level of academic performance in
English when grouped according to family income,
relevant findings were also seen. Predictably, all
income levels resulted in an outstanding level of
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academic performance in English. As such,
participants from the rich income level presents the
highest mean score of 94.33. This means that the
income status is indeed a crucial factor that affects the
academic performance of the pupils. Pupils who are
financially stable receive the sufficient support thus,
provide them the advantage to excel more.
Meanwhile, on the level of academic performance in
English when grouped based on the study time in
English, all time durations/ranges demonstrate an
outstanding level but the highest mean score of 91.95
proves that the participants who studied at the time
duration of 31 – 45 minutes resulted in an outstanding
level of academic performance in English. This finding
implied that the duration of study is also important on
the performance of the pupils. The results also showed
that the most effective time duration to study is not
about how long or how short a pupil spends time in
learning, it is about spending a bare amount of time
where they can balance rest and study.
Significant Differences in the Learning Anxiety
Based on the results, significant difference is not found
in the level of English learning anxiety of the
participants when classified according to sex at p-
value of .750. This could mean that all pupils
regardless of their genders can accumulate varied
levels of English learning anxiety. However, it can be
perceived in the accumulated mean ranks that the
female pupils received a mean of 69.76 which is
higher compared to male pupils’ mean rank of 64.72.
Meanwhile, on the significant difference in the level of
English learning anxiety when grouped according to
grade level, the p-value of .384 revealed that the
difference between grade levels is also not significant.
This means that grade levels cannot be considered as a
predictor of English learning anxiety. Despite the shift
in learning modalities due to the pandemic, the pupils
regardless of their academic progress or levels can also
acquire varied levels of English learning anxiety.
A significant difference does not exist in the level of
English learning anxiety of the participants when they
are grouped according to family income with the p-
value of .054.The results implied that the family
income levels do not contribute to the acquisition of
English learning anxiety of the pupils since it does rely
alone whether they are financially stable or not
because the chances of pupils to acquire low or high
levels of anxiety still depend on the parenting skills of
the parents and guardians.
A p-value of 0.62 which revealed that there is no
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significant difference in the level of English learning
anxiety of the participants when grouped according to
their study time in English. This implies that the length
of time spent by the pupils during the distance learning
does not necessarily give them enough chances to
acquire low or high levels of English learning anxiety.
In other words, whether they spend less or too much
time in studying English, the anxiety levels that they
might acquire vary and will depend on how well the
pupils can use and allot their time efficiently.
Significant Differences in the Academic
Performance
The p-value of .862 shows that the difference between
the level of academic performance of the male and
female participants is not significant. The findings
imply that genders do not necessarily induce an impact
to the academic performance of the pupils in time of
the pandemic.
The p-value of .680 shows that there is no significant
difference on the academic performance in English
when grouped according to grade level. The findings
imply that academic levels do not affect the academic
standing of the pupils during the COVID-19 pandemic.
It shows that all pupils regardless of their grade levels
received high remarks in their English subjects and no
grade level got significantly low remarks.
With the p-value of .443, the data revealed that there is
no significant difference in the academic performance
of the participants in English when classified
according to family income. The socio-economic
status of some families might have deteriorated
because of the effects brought by the pandemic. Some
parents and other family members lost their jobs and
started to experience financial struggles. The results,
nonetheless, brought to an implication that the
academic performance of the pupils does not
significantly reflect on their current family incomes.
The study shows that the pupils are able to earn high
remarks regardless of their varied family income
levels.
The p-value of .918 at 0.05 level of significance shows
that there is no significant difference in the level of
academic performance in English of the participants in
terms of their study time in English. The results imply
that the academic performance of the pupils does not
vary and they all still received high remarks regardless
of the different length of time they had spent in
studying the English subject.
Significant Relationship between the English
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Research Article
Learning Anxiety and Academic Performance in
English
As the study revealed its findings, a significant
correlation between the English learning anxiety and
academic performance in English is evident. Thus, the
study implies that a low level of English learning
anxiety can produce an outstanding academic
performance in English while a high level of English
learning anxiety leads to a very poor academic
standing. The findings of the study already uncovered
the assumptions that the pupils’ anxieties in learning
English could definitely affect their academic
performance positively or negatively.
Discussion
Based on the results, analyses, and interpretations that
were discussed in the study, the following conclusions
were realized: (1) The distance online learning brought
by the pandemic does not provide an enormous effect
on the pupils but if not taken into a keen consideration,
these moderate anxiety levels of the pupils might
worsen and could cause a more serious problem. (2)
Spending too much time or less in studying might be
an indicator of stress to pupils because it might either
exhaust them or lead them to procrastination. On the
other hand, a sufficient amount of study time is
effective to the pupils since it gives them the
opportunity to balance study and rest. It also reflects
on the good study habit which includes the effective
use of time management where pupils don’t have to
overworked themselves in studying or acquire
demotivation in learning English. (3) The sole factor
that contributes to the improvement of the pupil’s
performance was the current learning modality itself.
Distance learning or blended online learning might be
a disadvantage for teachers when it comes to providing
hands- on monitoring of the performance and progress
of the pupils. Since there is no face- to-face interaction
between the pupils and the teachers and the learning
process are being done at the comfort of the learner’s
homes, teachers cannot assure if it is really the pupils
who accomplish the tasks and activities in their self-
learning modules or lessons. At most times, it is the
parents, the guardians, or even the tutors who do the
work since some of the pupils are not motivated
enough to do it by themselves. This is the reason why
the pupils receive high grades from their teachers
regardless of their exact mental and intellectual
capacities. This finding is evident on the learning
sheets and other written tasks being handed down in
school. Teachers could easily identify if the output is
originally done by a pupil or by another person
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through the penmanship. With this, the researcher
assumes that the outstanding remarks acquired by the
pupils in the new normal cannot be as reliable as the
remarks they received in the face-to-face learning
modality since not all the pupils are accountable in
their academic responsibilities and they tend to rely it
to their parents and to other people.(4) Since female
pupils take their academic standing in a more serious
manner and tend to become more competitive to
receive high remarks in their English subject, it means
that they are also more prone to stress and anxiety
because of too much pressure that they receive from
themselves. (5) Low level of English learning anxiety
can generate an outstanding academic performance in
English while high English learning anxiety can
trigger pupils to obtain poor academic standing in their
English subject.
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Research Article

Vitasari, P., Wahab, M. N. A., Othman, A., Herawan, T., & Affiliations and Corresponding Informations
Sinnadurai, S. K. (2010). The Relationship between Study Anxiety
and Academic Performance among Engineering Students. Procedia Corresponding: Quirr Millendez
Social and Behavioral Science.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.201 Email: millendezquirr@gmail.com
0.12.067 Phone:

Yim, S. Y., & Yu, Y.-L. (2011). Validating the English Learning
Anxiety Scale for Primary School Students in Korea. English Quirr Millendez:
Teaching 1: Kabankalan Catholic College - Philippines
2: University of St. La Salle - Philippines

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