Institutional Repository | Satya Wacana Christian University: Preparing Metacognitive Learning Strategy to Lower Anxiety in Oral Examination

Preparing Metacognitive Learning Strategies to Lower Anxiety in Oral Examination

Retno Salta Ria
Satya Wacana Christian University, Salatiga
Abstract
This study investigates students’ preparation for their oral examination in Public
Speaking Class to cope with anxiety. Lack of preparedness for presentation may cause
students anxiety (Barley, 2011). The investigation was concerned with students’ preparation
for oral presentation. This study investigated the metacognitive learning strategy, which leads
to student’s preparation for oral examination. Semi-structured interviews was assigned to 24
students who have recently taken the Public Speaking Class of Satya Wacana Christian
University from Language and Literature Faculty to get the participants’ answers on the
following issues: (i) how students see preparation for oral examinations in Public Speaking
class; (ii) what do students prepare before doing the oral examinations in the Public Speaking
class; (iii) what strategies they used in preparing their oral examinations: (iv) how the
strategies were applied in practice; (v) and why they did the strategies. Result indicates that
students did the preparations in many ways, which indicate that they use metacognitive
learning strategy. Students claimed that it decreased their anxiety and optimized their
performance in their oral examination. This study proves that unpreparedness leads to
students’ speaking anxiety and preparation includes metacognitive realm of the students to
cope with speaking anxiety.

Key Words: metacognitive learning strategy, preparation, Public Speaking presentation,
learner’s speaking anxiety.