Olayinka Adenike Adesehinwa, Simeon Oluniyi Ariyo & Oluseyi Olubukola Jolayemi
Abstract
This study adopted survey research design to examine the influence of anxiety on students’ academic achievement in English language, and gender-based differences in anxiety responses. It was guided by three hypotheses, and a sample size of 200 students from public and private secondary schools in Oyo East Local Government Area was used. A validated questionnaire assessing language-related emotional anxiety, with a reliability coefficient of r = 0.74 was used for data collection. Based on their scores, participants were categorized into low, moderate, and high anxiety groups. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent samples t-test, one-way ANOVA, and post hoc multiple comparisons. Findings revealed no statistically significant differences in English language achievement across anxiety levels (p > .05), supporting the null hypothesis. However, a significant gender difference in anxiety-related achievement was found (p = .01), with female students outperforming their male counterparts. These results suggest that while emotional anxiety alone may not directly predict academic achievement, its effects may be moderated by gender and other contextual factors. It is recommended that instructional practices that acknowledge and address gender-based differences in learning strategies, motivation, and emotional expression should be promoted.