Efl High School Students’ Strategies for Reducing Speaking Anxiety: A Case Study

Abstract

This research aims to investigate the strategies that EFL high school students use to overcome their speaking anxiety in classroom context in Academic year 2022/2023. This study employed a qualitative method. The data were collected through interviews with three participants from a private high school in Yogyakarta and semi-structured interview were conducted to gained strategies used by participant to cope with foreign language speaking anxiety. The data was analyzed used by thematic analysis. The overall results show that the three participants experienced anxiety when carrying out learning activities in class, both when communicating, receiving evaluations, and when taking grades. In this study it was also found that these three participants had strategies to overcome their EFL speaking anxiety (i.e., preparation, relaxation, peer seeking, and resignation), which could help them to deal with EFL speaking anxiety in the classroom context. Therefore, with this strategy, students can have lower anxiety when carrying out learning activities in class. This research investigates strategies employed by EFL high school students to address speaking anxiety, offering potential ways to reduce anxiety and enhance classroom experiences. It emphasizes the need for further research on anxiety's broader impact and suggests the role of teachers in supporting students with speaking anxiety.