GEMA Online ® Journal of Language Studies Volume 19(3), August 2019 http://doi.org/10.17576/gema-2019-1903-04 eISSN: 2550-2131 ISSN: 1675-8021 57 Exploring English Speaking Anxiety Among Filipino Engineering Students: Its Influence on Task Performance and Its Sources Edward Jay Mansarate Quinto ejmquinto@yahoo.com.ph Mapua University, Philippines Jonathan Veran Macayan jvmacayan@mapua.edu.ph Mapua University, Philippines ABSTRACT The need for effective English speaking skills in engineering fields compels schools to innovate curricula that shall address the language skills of a ‘global engineer.’ The impact of engineering curricular reforms trickled down among students who contend with language learning anxiety, besides anxiety from mathematics and other technical courses. In this paper, the researchers explored English speaking anxiety among 162 engineering students in an engineering University in Manila, Philippines. A mixed-method, explanatory sequential design was used. This method combines the quantitative and qualitative approaches in investigating the phenomenon under study, i.e., English speaking anxiety. In the quantitative phase, the researchers used data from the speaking component of a self-developed scale and speaking performance scores yielded from an interactive English conversation task. Analysis revealed a significant negative relationship between speaking anxiety and speaking task performance, pointing to the debilitative influence of anxiety on task performance. In the qualitative phase, semi-structured interviews among nine purposefully selected students revealed that both peers and teachers were common sources of speaking anxiety and in a variety of ways. The findings point to speaking anxiety as an important psycho- and sociolinguistic phenomenon, which is hinged on the specific roles that language teaching and learning plays in preparing engineering students as future language consumers and users in highly technical, specialized, and competitive engineering fields. Keywords: speaking anxiety; debilitative anxiety; task performance; engineering education; explanatory sequential INTRODUCTION English is a global language. It is used as a tool for communication in various disciplines, i.e., academic, professional, business, among others. In fact, the importance of learning English in preparation for careers and professions is a recurring theme in the literature (Kassim & Ali, 2010; Mahu, 2012; Reddy, 2016; Riemer, 2002). Thus, it comes with no surprise that many schools in non-English speaking countries emphasize English communication skills in their curricula. Needless to say, effective command of English is a critical outcome for the prospective careers of students, alongside other skill sets necessary for their future professions. In the highly technical and specialized field of engineering, the crucial role of effective English communication skills had been widely documented and underscored in previous studies (Arsad, Buniyamin & Manan, 2014; Khunnawut, 2011; Radzuan & Kaur, 2011; Shrestha, Pahari, & Awasthi, 2015, 2016; Spence & Liu, 2013). Aside from technical acumen, one important attribute expected of and considered necessary among engineering graduates is effective communication skills (Kassim & Ali, 2010; Sheth, 2015). Empirical