Abstract:
Public speaking remains one of the most challenging issues for the majority of EFL learners, usually caused by anxiety that hinders their performance while speaking. The research aimed to explore how anxiety affects students' performance in public speaking coursework, specifically second-year English Education students at a private university in Ciamis. Applying a qualitative case study approach, the data were collected by classroom observation and semi-structured interviews with ten students and one lecturer. The results showed that anxiety was reported on three typical dimensions—physical (e.g., trembling, hyperventilation), cognitive (e.g., forgetfulness, hesitancy), and behavioral (e.g., avoidant eye contact, rigid posture)—that combined to erode students' fluency, coherence, and confidence. Fear of negative evaluation, short preparation time, and pressure to perform were the chief causes for anxiety. Although students employed coping strategies such as rehearsal, deep relaxation, and self-persuasion, they were not backed by systematic pedagogic interventions. How the lecturer provided a positive setting and appropriate feedback at the right time was observed to be essential in helping the students cope with their anxiety. This study contributes new evidence by combining observation and interview data to appeal for the integration of emotional support into language instruction to offer a more facilitative and psychologically safer learning environment for students.
