Institutional Repository | Satya Wacana Christian University: Factors Causing Anxiety Problems for English Department Students in Interpersonal Speaking Class

Factors Causing Anxiety Problems for English Department Students in
Interpersonal Speaking Class
Elvira Maryolen Here
Abstract
This study investigated the anxiety problems faced by English Department students in
Interpersonal speaking class in Satya Wacana Christian University. The study would be focused
on anxiety problems in case of nervousness, speech anxiety and fear of negative evaluation, selfawareness, fear of failing the class, negative attitude toward speaking class, and comfortableness
in speaking class with native speaker. The data were all collected from 40 students of
Interpersonal speaking class who were participated in this study. This study answered a research
question: What factors that cause anxiety problem in Interpersonal Speaking Class of English
Department’s students? In regard to the data collection and analysis, I used the step suggested by
Horwitz, Horwitz, and Cope (1984, in Yukie Aida 1994). The result of this study suggests that
Interpersonal speaking class students experienced anxiety in terms of those factors above. The
result was in line with some of previous findings done by Kurtus (2001), MacIntyre and Gardner
(1994), and Shumin (1997). They claimed that students might feel more anxious in speaking
class because they were required to speak with or in front of their friends and they were afraid of
looking foolish in fornt of peers or important people.
Key words : anxiety problems, speaking anxiety