THE CORRELATION BETWEEN STUDENTS' GRAMMAR ANXIETY AND THEIR WRITING PERFORMANCE
Abstract
Grammar anxiety is a common emotional barrier among English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners, especially in writing tasks. Writing in English demands not only vocabulary and ideas but also accurate grammar, which may provoke anxiety and impact performance. This study investigates the correlation between grammar anxiety and students’ academic writing performance. The research addresses the question: "Is there a significant correlation between students’ grammar anxiety and their writing performance?". A quantitative correlational design was used, involving 32 fourth-semester EFL students from the English Language Education Department at a private university in Malang. Total sampling was applied, targeting those who had completed grammar and writing-related courses. Two instruments were utilized: the Grammar Anxiety Scale (GAS) with 25 validated items, and an academic essay assessed using an analytical scoring rubric adapted from Brown and Bailey (1984), covering organization, content, grammar, vocabulary, and mechanics. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 20. Descriptive statistics and normality tests preceded Pearson's product-moment correlation. Results showed no significant correlation between grammar anxiety and writing performance (r = –0.001, p = 0.996). These findings suggest that grammar anxiety may not significantly influence writing performance in this context. Other factors such as motivation, feedback, writing strategies, and experience might play a larger role. This study enhances the understanding of affective variables in EFL writing and offers practical implications for educators to support students through broader pedagogical strategies beyond solely addressing anxiety.
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