Beyond fear of speaking: Unpacking the factors shaping EFL students’ speaking anxiety in Indonesian junior high school

Abstract

Speaking is one of the most important skills in English language learning; however, many students experience anxiety when they are required to communicate in English. This study aimed to investigate the factors affecting students’ speaking anxiety at SMP Nurul Amal Palembang and to explore the effects of anxiety, coping strategies, and teacher support in reducing anxiety. This research employed a qualitative case study design. The participants were selected using purposive sampling and consisted of six students who experienced speaking anxiety in English classes. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings revealed that students’ speaking anxiety was influenced by five major factors: fear of negative evaluation, low self-confidence, fear of making mistakes, speaking in front of peers, and limited practice opportunities. Among these factors, fear of negative evaluation emerged as the most dominant factor because students were highly concerned about being laughed at, criticized, or negatively judged by their classmates. The study also found that speaking anxiety affected students’ speaking performance, motivation, and emotional well-being. To cope with anxiety, students employed preparation strategies, practice strategies, avoidance strategies, and cognitive strategies. In addition, teacher support played an important role in reducing anxiety through emotional encouragement, supportive classroom environments, instructional strategies, and constructive feedback. These findings suggest that teachers should create supportive learning environments and provide sufficient speaking opportunities to help students reduce anxiety and improve their speaking performance.