EFL STUDENTS’ STRATEGIES IN MANAGING SPEAKING ANXIETY AT ENGLISH EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM

This research aimed to find out the level of anxiety in learning English and
strategies used by students in managing speaking anxiety at English Education
Study Program at University of Bengkulu. This research used a descriptive
quantitative method. The population of this research was the fourth semester
students of the English Education Study Program at University of Bengkulu in the
2022/2023 academic year. The sample of this research used total sampling, so
researcher took all population, totaling 97 students. The data were collected by
using questionnaire that indicated the level of students anxiety in English and
strategies used by students in managing speaking anxiety. The questionnaire
consisted of 33 items adopted from Horwitz et. al (1986) and 15 items adapted
from Marwan (2007). This research used a formula and SPSS application to
analyze the data. The result of this research showed that the students fell into
medium level of anxiety. There were five strategies used by students in managing
speaking anxiety; positive thinking, preparation, relaxation, peer seeking and
resignation. The most dominant strategy used by fourth semester students were
positive thinking. It was found that many students chose not to use resignation as
their strategy. However, some of them also use resignation as a strategy. The
appropriate strategies could help them improve their performance in speaking
English.
Keywords: Anxiety, Anxiety Level, Speaking Anxiety, Strategy in Managing
Speaking Anxiety