Psychological Factors and Pedagogical Conditions Influencing Oral English Performance among Primary Esl Learners: A Mixed-Methods Study Based on the Affective Filter Hypothesis

Abstract

Oral English performance remains a persistent challenge for primary school learners of English as a Second Language (ESL) in Malaysia, despite sustained curricular exposure from an early age. Grounded in Krashen's Affective Filter Hypothesis, this study examined four psychological factors — fear of making mistakes, shyness, anxiety, and lack of confidence — and their relationship with the oral performance of primary ESL learners. A sequential explanatory mixed-methods design was employed. In the quantitative phase, a five-point Likert-scale questionnaire (Cronbach's alpha = .93) was administered to 255 primary school respondents (112 boys, 143 girls); oral performance was operationalised through teachers' Pentaksiran Bilik Darjah (PBD) speaking proficiency levels (TP1–TP6). In the qualitative phase, semi-structured interviews with ten respondents and classroom observations were analysed thematically using ATLAS.ti. Descriptive statistics indicated that all four psychological factors were experienced at moderate-to-high levels. An independent-samples t-test found no statistically significant gender differences across the four factors (p > .05), and Spearman's rank-order correlation found no statistically significant relationship between any of the four factors and PBD-assessed oral performance (p > .05). However, the qualitative findings showed that these affective barriers shaped hesitation, avoidance, and willingness to communicate in ways not captured by formal performance scores, and that respondents preferred collaborative, low-pressure, and gamified speaking activities to lower their affective filter. The study concludes that psychological factors remain educationally significant even where a direct statistical link to formal assessment scores is absent, and recommends that oral English pedagogy and assessment in Malaysian primary schools give explicit attention to learners' emotional readiness alongside their linguistic competence.