INVESTIGATING ESP STUDENTS AND SPEAKING ANXIETY

Abstract

Speaking is one of the most demanding skills in EFL learning because the speaker needs to immediately access all the necessary information to fast develop the right utterances. This study is aimed at investigating the internal and external factors of English Foreign Language Speaking Anxiety (FLSA) based on the students’ experience in ESP classes. The subjects of this study were thirty students from Elementary School Education majors taking ESP classes. The study employed an exploratory case study using questionnaires and interviews as the instruments to collect the data. The findings revealed that stage fright, lack of confidence, and shyness are the three main internal causes of speaking anxiety among students. Anxiety among non-English speaking students is also caused by external factors such as their lack of preparation, grammar, and vocabulary.