Filipino Teachers' Foreign Language Fluency Anxiety in the United States

Abstract The descriptive correlational study examines 50 Filipino teachers' foreign language fluency anxiety levels in the US for school year 2021-2022 and how socio-demographic factors affect performance. This use a modified 30-item questionnaire from the standardized questionnaire on Foreign Language Teaching Anxiety by Selami Aydin and Ozgehan Ustuk (2020). Mean interpretation, frequency and percentage distribution, and ANOVA were used to treat the data. Female educators aged 31–35, mostly teachers, dominated the study. These teachers had one year of experience and earned 100,000–200,000 per month. This study found that Filipino teachers have variable foreign language fluency anxiety levels. Teachers were anxious about making mistakes and meeting new students when assessing their language proficiency. Results found that teaching inexperience increased stress when students did not participate in class discussions. The research also shows that student disinterest intensifies foreign language fluency anxiety, with many teachers disappointed by negative student behavior. Teachers typically experience stress when unprepared for class and lack the materials or planning to prepare for discussions, contributing to stress. The study also found age-related relationships between language proficiency self-perception and time difficulties with management. While their positions greatly influenced their self-perception of language proficiency, language barriers differed by duration of service and time difficulties with management. These findings demonstrate the complexity of foreign language fluency anxiety among Filipino US instructors and the need to overcome it to improve their teaching through targeted interventions, seeking mentorship and joining professional development programs. Key Words: Foreign Language Anxiety, English Proficiency, Teacher Migration, English as Second and Foreign Language