Students’ Strategies to Reduce Speaking Anxiety

b. 85 out of 100 students experienced the anxiety feeling when they had to perform Hot Seat without preparation, c. 52 out of 100 students felt uncomfortable when the lecturer or other students were looking at their direction, d. 93 out of 100 students forgot some English words to say after having experienced the nervousness, and e. 75 out of 100 students were worried of failing the Critical Listening and Speaking II class. To answer the third research question, after investigating the source of foreign language speaking anxiety, it is revealed that the source is from Test Anxiety and Fear of Negative Feedback. These two categories received high level results. Meanwhile, the students did not have problem in the communication apprehension category since it received low level. Also, the students have their own strategies to overcome their own nervousness and anxiety. Mostly they would practice their speech beforehand, found difficult and relatable words to the theme in dictionary, or only drank water. There were also students who motivated themselves so that their nervousness would not disturb their concentration. Once the students who had high level of anxiety experienced the anxiety arousal, especially when they are in the evaluative situation, it could make the students could not focus and the impossibility to making mistakes is big. In the findings, there were positive and also negative responds about their speaking skill when they performed the Hot Seat game. Although they felt nervous and also anxious about their performance, students believed that it was the good way to improve their speaking skill. It showed from the students’ answer about how they could overcome their own nervous. It can be concluded that foreign language classroom speaking anxiety could be in a form of positive anxiety and negative anxiety. The positive anxiety happens when one feels nervous but it does not make them lose their confidence and it can stimulate their motivation to improve. Meanwhile, negative anxiety happens when one feels nervous but heshe cannot overcome their nervousness which leads himher to not be able to perform well. Facilitating anxiety motivates the learner to fight the new learning task, it gears the learner emotionally for approach behavior.

B. Recommendations

This section presents some recommendations concerning the foreign language classroom speaking anxiety that the fourth semester students of English Language Education Study Program of Sanata Dharma University I the 20142015 Academic Year experience. The recommendations are intended for the Hot Seat activity, the students, the lecturers, especially for Critical Listening and Speaking II lecturers, and for other researchers who are interested in conducting a further study in this area.

1. Recommendations for Hot Seat activity

Hot Seat activity is one of good techniques in order to help student to improve their English speaking skill. It also has a positive response from students. Since there is a quote saying “practice makes better”, it would be better that students can experience Hot Seat activity not only once per semester. That way can make the students feel comfortable in speaking in front of public. In addition, since Hot Seat game is not an icebreaking exercise and it will be evaluated, it can be suggested that the lecturer can have an icebreaking exercise before the Hot Seat game.

2. Recommendations for the Students in Critical Listening and Speaking II

Speaking activity uses Communicative Language Teaching approach, in which it is expected that students need to be more active in the process. In Hot Seat activity, students can implement this approach by actively giving out comments and suggestion on their friends who are performing in front of the class. Meanwhile, when the student is performing the Hot Seat activity, it is expected that students need to be more creative in their speech so that it can interest other students to listen to their speech. As for the students who feel anxious and not confident, they can practice to speak English not only in the classroom, but also outside of classroom by interacting with their fellow friends to speak English.

3. Recommendations for the Lecturers in Critical Listening and Speaking II

It is an important role for a teacher to be aware in succeeding the second language learning of the students. It is good that the lecturers of Critical Listening and Speaking II have prepared the theme assigned to the students so that they are expected to be ready to perform Hot Seat activity well. In order for students to