Imprints of Lower Socioeconomic Class in English Speaking Anxieties and Academic Performance of Rural and Urban Students

Abstract

The students’ socioeconomic status has acquired importance for elaborating differences in their educational outcomes. Various personal and contextual factors that affect students’ academic performance correlate with students' socioeconomic backgrounds. Likewise, rural and urban environments also impact academic achievements and academic behaviours. Language learning starts from home; therefore, students’ socioeconomic classes and residential environment can play a conspicuous role in their language learning. However, speaking skills are complex and can induce speaking anxiety in students. The English language is the medium of instruction in most countries in higher education. Therefore, researchers’ interest has increased in English-speaking anxieties at the international level. The lower socioeconomic class students are expected to have negative academic behaviours and anxieties. Therefore, this study examined the impact of lower socioeconomic class students’ rural and urban environments on their English speaking anxieties and academic performance. The conveniently available 705 university students filled out an online questionnaire about their socioeconomic class, English speaking anxieties, and academic performance. The study results revealed an insignificant direct impact of students’ lower socioeconomic class on their academic grades. The students’ perception of poor performance in speaking English mediated the effect of lower socioeconomic class on their academic grades. The impacts of English speaking anxieties on academic performance were significant in urban students and insignificant in rural students. The study's findings have implications for reducing the adverse effects of lower socioeconomic class on students' academic performance and English language learning.