Students’ Anxiety in Speaking English in Junior High School

Abstract

This thesis examines students' anxiety in speaking English in junior high school and investigates the coping strategies employed by students to manage their anxiety. Speaking English confidently is crucial for effective communication and language development, but many students experience anxiety when faced with these situations. Understanding the factors contributing to students' anxiety and their coping mechanisms is essential for creating supportive learning environments. The aim of this study is to explore the factors contributing to students' anxiety in speaking English at the junior high school level and to propose strategies for alleviating this anxiety. The research employs a qualitative methods approach, combining questionnaires to find out the factors in the speaking anxiety of students in grade 9 at Eakkapapsasanawich Islamic Boarding School, and interviews to find out the strategy for how they manage anxiety. For the result of the interviews, the researcher had analyze the data by following the technique of qualitative research. The findings based on the analysis of the questionnaire the researcher found that there were some factors: Nervousness when the students speak without preparation. Negative evaluation of themselves, when the students must speak English or do the activity in the classroom. Lack of Confidence, when there are some of their classmates laugh at them. Embarrassment, when the students speak English with foreigners. This thesis also explores the strategies to manage all of those factors based on the results of the interview. There are 4 strategies to manage their anxiety, and that were building confidence in themselves, using body language, and trying to speak out as much as they can to reduce anxiety. Furthermore, the study highlights the importance of a supportive classroom environment and the role of teachers in providing guidance and encouragement to help students manage their anxiety effectively.

Keywords: Students’ anxiety, English-speaking, EFL Students