Undergraduate Students’ Coping Strategies On Foreign Language Speaking Anxiety In Public Speaking And Interpreting Coursework: A Survey Study

Abstract

Language learners experience higher anxiety when speaking compared to other language skills. This can negatively affect their ability to speak well. To overcome this problem, learners can also develop their strategies during the learning process. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the coping strategies needed to reduce speaking anxiety in EFL students. This study is a survey research using a quantitative research approach. Thirty-nine EFL students in Public Speaking and Interpreting classes at a private university in Yogyakarta completed a questionnaire adapted from He (2017). Descriptive quantitative analysis found that among the four domains: peer seeking, preparation, relaxation, and positive thinking, the peer-seeking domain scored the lowest (M = 3.49, SD = 1.033), and positive thinking received the highest score (M = 3.86, SD = 1.022). The results of this study concluded that speaking exercises, language games, and humorous teachers can contribute more to reducing students' anxiety in speaking foreign languages.