Exploring EFL students' anxiety in presentations as their English oral performance: An exploratory case study at One of Senior High School in Tasikmalaya West Java

Nurul, Firmansyah (2025) Exploring EFL students' anxiety in presentations as their English oral performance: An exploratory case study at One of Senior High School in Tasikmalaya West Java. Sarjana thesis, UIN Sunan Gunung Djati Bandung.

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Abstract

Anxiety in oral presentations remains a prevalent issue among senior high school students learning English as a foreign language. Presenting in front of an audience often provokes nervousness that interferes with students’ ability to speak fluently and confidently. Recognizing the significance of this challenge, the research aimed to explore the types of anxiety experienced by students during oral presentations and to identify the strategies they applied to cope with such anxiety. This research adopted a qualitative method using an exploratory case study design. It was conducted at a senior high school in Tasikmalaya, West Java, involving selected 10th-grade students. Data were collected through questionnaires and interviews and analyzed thematically to identify patterns in students' experiences and coping mechanisms. The findings revealed that students experienced both psychological and cognitive symptoms of anxiety. Psychological and cognitive anxiety during presentations manifest in various distressing symptoms, each managed through specific coping mechanisms. Psychologically, participants experienced intense nervousness, leading to trembling, blushing, rapid heartbeats, sweating, dry throat, and uncontrollable shaking. To mitigate these symptoms, they employed strategies such as deep belly breathing, redirecting audience attention, maintaining an upright posture, subtly moving their hands to counteract trembling, and holding a cold drink to manage sweating. On the cognitive level, students struggled with confusion, mental blocks, excessive self consciousness, fear of making mistakes, and difficulty recalling material. To overcome these challenges, they engaged in thorough preparation, organized key points or full scripts, used humor to lighten the atmosphere, engaged the audience with questions to shift attention, and practiced extensively to build confidence. These findings highlight the interplay between physical selfregulation, structured mental preparation, and audience interaction in managing speaking anxiety. To conclude, recognizing the types and sources of anxiety is essential in helping students overcome their fear of oral performance. Therefore, it is suggested that teachers create a supportive and low-pressure classroom environment to help students build their confidence. Further research is encouraged to explore anxiety in oral performance across different student populations and learning contexts.

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