Abstract

This study has been conducted by the researcher under a positivist paradigm while opting for the Quantitative approach. The study has been conducted while including 230 ESTs purposively and included in the study. All of the selected teachers were serving in FGEI's (C/G) Lahore region. The teachers' perspectives regarding their anxiety were measured with the help of a questionnaire comprising 30 items adopted from (Horwitz et al., 1986). On the other hand, the concerning teachers’ terminal GPA in English taken from the BISE results was taken to measure their performance. The results revealed an inverse and weaker effect of the teachers’ anxiety on their performance.

Key Words

Language Anxiety; Primary Teachers, Performance in English

Introduction

People are shaped via education in order to become civilized citizens. It acts as a border between nations that have advanced civilizations and those that have not. No nation can succeed without realizing the goal of education (UNESCO, 2019). The level of education in a country affects its future. They are the means through which the nation develops and thrives. They make their nation's finances better and make it sovereign (Zulfiqar, 2016; Parrish & Lanvers, 2019).

There are those who instruct others and aid in their quest for an appreciation of mankind and its experiences (Siddiqui et al., 2023). These are the teachers who work as hard as they can for the nation's education. Students are taught through both formal instruction and informal conversation (Asrar, Tariq, & Rashid, 2018). Man is special in that he can talk, unlike other living creatures. To accomplish their objectives, educators use it as a tool (Khan et al., 2017; Hakim,  2019). Students are more likely to comply with instructions when a teacher communicates well (Khan & Khan, 2017; Alamer & Vigentini, 2017).

Instructors need to be skilled communicators in order to convey their views easily and effectively (Ali et al., 2022; Bee, 2012; Munir et al., 2023). The teacher's responsibility is to guarantee the students’ learning. Instructions can only be successful when they are adequately conveyed (Loy, 2006). Both controlling the classroom and teaching require effective communication (Ehindero, 2000; Raheela et al., 2020). However, it has been observed that anxiety is faced by instructors dealing with and teaching the foreign language (Siddiqui et al., 2019; Noels, 2019). People with speech anxiety often acquire language anxiety as a result of their communication challenges (Alqahtani, 2019; Jawad & Al-Obaydi, 2015; Yasmeen et al., 2020). If a teacher speaks nervously, both the students' learning and the efficacy of the instructor's instructions may decrease (Tepeh, 2016).

Due to its widespread acceptance and rapid growth as a global language, it is now more important than ever to learn English (along with good communication skills) (Oga-Baldwin, 2017; Wang, 2010). However, English language learners frequently feel and express emotions like fear, stress, uneasiness, and concern while they struggle to acquire the needed proficiency and conversational abilities in the language (Ba?, 2014; McEown & Sugita-McEown, 2020). It can result in anxiety to the point that learners are absolutely unable to speak any English at all in really severe circumstances (Alamer, 2021).

Anxiety is a psychosomatic concept in psychology that is frequently characterized as a feeling of dread and terror as well as a vague apprehension generally linked with an item or occurrence (Mostafa & Ghonsooly 2015; Hashemi, 2010). Anxiety is a typical and natural emotion. Language learning suffers as a result of this reaction, making it one of the psychological issues in education that have generated the most study (Ryan & Deci, 2020; Ba? & Özcan, 2018; Zhou, 2016). State anxiety is described as the enduring and complex nature of some anxieties that may be triggered by a specific kind of state or stimulus and engaging in classroom activities (Teimouri, 2019; Zahid, Z., & Ghani, 2014).

Language anxiety is the term used to express the uneasiness or trepidation one experiences when speaking a language. According to Hismanoglu (2013), it is assumed that they are unable to communicate successfully in the target language. According to Alqahtani (2019) and Jawad and Al-Obaydi (2015), it is an unpleasant sensation and a challenge that comes with utilizing a language that is often a second language (Ali et al., 2017; Dewaele & Al-Saraj, 2015). Three categories have been created to further categorize anxiety: scenario-specific anxiety, anxiety connected to a particular situation, and anxiety related to personality traits (Tuncer, 2015; Tepeh, 2016).

It is found that teachers' performance was influenced by their anxiety while communicating in a language other than the primary one. Liu (2015), looked into the instructors' language anxiety and discovered that it affected their performance. There is a ton of knowledge available about students' anxiety. However, there is a paucity of studies on language anxiety among teachers. In order to fill this information vacuum, this study was carried out.

Statement of the Problem

Because English, which is not our first language, is now the language of instruction, the students are obligated to study it. However, they run across a number of challenges when they attempt to learn new languages. Language anxiety is a crucial component that has an impact on learning the English language (Tuncer, 2015). The goal of this study was to determine whether language anxiety affects teachers as well as students. What impact will the teachers' linguistic concerns have on their performance? This study set out to determine how instructors' concerns about language influenced their performance.

Significance of the study

According to MacIntyre and Gregersen (2012), language anxiety is a hindrance to students' progress and language acquisition. According to Zaman (2017), language anxiety prevents students from learning a second language, which has a detrimental impact on their academic performance (Chilton, 2019). English has been challenging since it influences students' academic performance and their anxiety connected to language acquisition (Halder, 2018; Yassin & Maasum, 2017). 

Hismanoglu (2013) contends that giving students a less stressful environment will make it easier for them to learn. However, if the teachers are stressed, it could affect the students' performance and motivation. The communication skills of teachers affect their students' academic success and failure, claim Khan & Khan (2017). Several factors contribute to pupils' language anxiety and subpar academic performance, claims Ferhat (2011). The discussions among the instructors are one of them.

The teacher's personal anxiousness is assumed to have an effect on the students' academic progress. In this study, the instructors' anxiousness was investigated to see how it impacted the students' motivation and performance. The study's conclusions and recommendations will be helpful for teachers as they seek to lessen their language anxiety and increase student motivation and achievement.

Methodology

This study has been conducted by the researcher under a positivist paradigm while opting for the Quantitative approach. The study has been conducted while including 230 Elementary School Teachers (ESTs) purposively and included in the study. All of the selected teachers were serving in FGEI's (C/G) Lahore region. The teachers' perspectives regarding their anxiety were measured with the help of a questionnaire comprising 30 items adopted from (Horwitz, Horwitz, & Cope, 1986). This was ranged on five points Likert rating scale from Strongly agree to Strongly disagree with Cronbach's Alpha 0.71. On the other hand, the concerning teachers' terminal GPA in English taken from the BISE results was taken to measure their performance.

Data Analysis & Results

The data were evaluated and their central tendency and dispersion were determined using descriptive statistics. In a manner similar to this, Pearson's r was used. The detail is as under: 

Table 1

	M	SD
Teachers’ Anxiety	98.83	16.03
Teachers’ Performance	2.22	0.98

 Table 1 shows the results taken from the descriptive statistics the Mean score of the "Teachers' Anxiety" M= 98.83 and SD=16.03 and the Mean score for the "Teachers' Performance" M= 2.22 and SD= 0.98.

Table 2

	Teachers’ Anxiety	Teachers’ Performance
Teachers’ Anxiety	1	-.34
Teachers’ Performance		1

 With an r-value of -.34 and a p-value of less than 0.05, Table 2 shows a weaker and statistically significant negative correlation between teachers' English proficiency and their language anxiety.

Table 3

R	R Square	Adjusted R Square	df	F	Sig
.346	.120	.116	1	31.06	.000

 Linear regression was applied to the data in order to investigate the effect of the independent variable on the dependent variable. A variance of 12% was found in the teachers' performance with reference to the calculated variation in their language anxiety. The value of F was 31.06 along with the p<0.05. These results confirm the fitness of the model.

Table 4

Model		Unstandardized Coefficients				Standardized Coefficients		t	Sig.
		B		Std. Error		Beta
(Constant)	4.33		.38				11.29		.000
Teachers’ Performance	-.02		.00		-.34		-5.57		.000

 Table 4, provides the values for both Teachers' language anxiety and their performance. The Beta value ?^=-.34 with a significance level of p<0.05 (p=.000) indicates a negative and weaker impact of the independent variable (Teachers' language anxiety) on the dependent variable (performance in English). Consequently, they provide evidence of the effect of the independent variable on the dependent variable

.The normal distribution of the data has been represented in Histogram 1 stated below:

Figure 1



Conclusion & Discussion

Because English, which is not our first language, is now the language of instruction, the students are obligated to study it. However, they run across a number of challenges when they attempt to learn new languages. Language anxiety is a crucial component that has an impact on learning the English language (Tuncer, 2015). What impact will the teachers' linguistic concerns have on their performance? This study set out to determine how instructors' concerns about language influenced their performance. Hismanoglu (2013) contends that giving students a less stressful environment will make it easier for them to learn. However, if the teachers are stressed, it could affect the students' performance and motivation. The communication skills of teachers affect their students' academic success and failure, claim Khan & Khan (2017). Several factors contribute to pupils' language anxiety and subpar academic performance, claims Ferhat (2011). The discussions among the instructors are one of them.

This study has been conducted by the researcher under a positivist paradigm while opting for the Quantitative approach. The study has been conducted while taking the Elementary School Teachers purposively included in the study. All of the selected teachers were serving in FGEI's (C/G) Lahore region. The teachers' perspectives regarding their anxiety were measured with the help of a questionnaire comprising 30 items. The concerning teachers’ terminal GPA in English taken from the BISE results was taken to measure their performance. The results revealed an inverse and weaker effect of the teachers’ anxiety on their performance.

References