Oral Communication Apprehensions and Academic Performance of Grade 7 Students

This descriptive-correlational study aimed to describe and analyze the relationship between the oral communication apprehensions (CA) and academic performance in English, Mathematics and Science of the Grade 7 students. The participants of the study were the 371 Grade 7 students who were officially enrolled in the 22 public secondary schools in the Division of Ilocos Norte for the School Year 2016-2017. The data on students’ level of oral communication apprehension were gathered using the McCroskey’s Personal Report of Communication Apprehension (PRCA-24). Meanwhile, the data on the students’ academic performance in English, Mathematics and Science were gathered from their report cards for the school year 2016-2017. Frequency, percentage distribution, and Pearson’s r correlation were used to treat the data. Findings reveal that the Grade 7 students exhibit varied degrees or levels of oral communication apprehension in English in all the communication situations and in their overall oral CA. Further, the study reveals that there exists a significant relationship between the Grade 7 students’ level of oral communication apprehension and their level of academic performance in English, Mathematics and Science, that is, if the students experience lower level of communication apprehension, they are more likely to have higher academic performance, but, if the students exhibit higher level of oral communication apprehension, they tend to have lower academic performance. This study could serve as basis for language teachers to consider speaking activities that could be best offered to students who are challenged with oral communication apprehensions. Further, this could help students monitor their oral communication apprehensions and find ways to address and overcome them.

Keywords – Academic performance, English language, oral communication apprehensions, Grade 7 students