INVESTIGATING THE CORRELATION BETWEEN FOREIGN LANGUAGE CLASSROOM ANXIETY (FLCA) AND SPEAKING PERFORMANCE AMONG ADULT ENGLISH LEARNERS IN NON-NATIVE ENVIRONMENTS

Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety (FLCA) represents a significant situation-specific psychological barrier that affects adult English language learners, particularly within non-native environments where exposure to the target language is limited outside the classroom. This study investigates the correlation between FLCA and oral speaking performance among adult English learners. Utilizing a quantitative correlational research design, data were gathered from a sample of 120 adult English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners enrolled in intensive language programs. The Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) was employed to quantify anxiety levels across three main dimensions: communication apprehension, test anxiety, and fear of negative evaluation. Speaking performance was evaluated through standardized oral production tests assessed by independent raters using analytic rubrics covering grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, and fluency. The empirical results reveal a strong, statistically significant negative correlation ($r = -0.64, p < 0.01$) between total FLCA scores and oral performance scores. Among the distinct aspects of oral production, grammatical accuracy and lexical retrieval were found to be the most heavily degraded by elevated anxiety levels. The findings underscore the critical need for instructors to foster supportive, low-anxiety classroom environments to optimize adult language acquisition and oral performance.