A study on speaking anxiety among English learners

This study aims to determine the level of speaking anxiety and explore the factors that contribute to the anxiety experienced by students in speaking English. The study employed a mixed-methods design that included 68 second-grade students from a junior high school. The findings showed that out of 8 students who experienced an anxious level, 38 students were mildly anxious, 17 students were relaxed, and five students were very relaxed. The causes of speaking anxiety were communication anxiety, fear of negative evaluation, and test anxiety. The interview showed that several students felt nervous when speaking in front of their peers. Some students mentioned that they felt afraid, especially because they were not confident in speaking English. Others shared that they were worried about being laughed at, yelled at, or scolded by classmates if they made mistakes.