Anggiyana Musthachim-Fitk

STUDENTS’ ANXIETY IN LEARNING ENGLISH
(A Case Study at the 8th Grade of SMPN 9 South Tangerang)
ANGGIYANA MUSTHACHIM
NIM: 109014000115
THE DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH EDUCATION

THE FACULTY OF TARBIYAH AND TEACHERS
TRAINING THE STATE ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY
SYARIF HIDAYATULLAH
JAKARTA
2014
STUDENTS’ ANXIETY IN LEARNING ENGLISH
“A Paper”
Presented to the Faculty of Tarbiya and Teachers Training in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements
By:
ANGGIYANA MUSTHACHIM NIM: 109014000115
THE DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH EDUCATION

THE FACULTY OF TARBIYAH AND TEACHERS
TRAINING THE STATE ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY
SYARIF HIDAYATULLAH
JAKARTA
2014
i
ii
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ABSTRACT
Anggiyana Musthachim (NIM: 109014000115). Students’ Anxiety in

Learning English (A Case Study at the 8th grade of SMPN 9 South Tangerang).
The paper of English Education Departement at Faculty of Tarbiya and Teachers
Training of State Islamic University Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta, 2014.
Keywords: Students’ Anxiety, English

This study was carried out to investigate foreign language anxiety of EFL
junior secondary school students at the 8th grade of SMPN 9 South Tangerang.
Specifically, it sought to identify what factors that may contribute to anxiety in
English learning environment based on the students’ perspectives.
The method was used in this study was qualitative method with case study
approach. Fifteen anxious students were selected as the participants. The data
were gathered through structured interviews and classroom observations.
The result of the study showed that speaking in front of the class, being
laughed at by others, incomprehensible input, students’ beliefs about language
learning, teacher personality, and lack of preparation were the six factors that may
contribute to the students’ anxiety in learning English.
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ABSTRAK
Anggiyana Musthachim (NIM: 109014000115). Kecemasan Siswa dalam

Pembelajaran Bahasa Inggris. Skripsi Jurusan Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris
Fakultas Ilmu Tarbiyah dan Keguruan Universitas Islam Negeri Syarif
Hidayatullah, 2014.
Keywords: Kecemasan Siswa, Pembelajaran bahasa Inggris

Penelitian ini dilakukan untuk melihat kecemasan berbahasa asing pada siswa
sekolah menengah pertama di kelas 8 SMPN 9 Tangerang Selatan. Khususnya
berusaha untuk mengidentifikasi faktor yang berkontribusi terhadap kecemasan
dalam belajar bahasa Inggris berdasarkan perspektif siswa.
Metode yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah metode kualitatif dengan
pendekatan studi kasus. Lima belas siswa yang merasa cemas dipilih sebagai
partisipan. Data dikumpulkan melalui wawancara terstruktur dan observasi kelas.
Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa berbicara didepan kelas, ditertawakan
oleh orang lain, pelajaran yang tidak dapat dimengerti, apa yang diyakini oleh
siswa tentang pembelajaran bahasa, sifat guru, dan kurangnya persiapan adalah
faktor-faktor yang berkontribusi terhadap kecemasan siswa dalam belajar bahasa
Inggris.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. Praise be to Allah,
Lord of the world who has blessed the writer in completing this paper. Sholawat
and Salam are given upon our prophet Muhammad SAW, who has guided us the
way of truth and brought us to the real light of life.
From the sincere of the writer’s deepest heart, he realized that if there were
no support and motivation from people around him, he could not finish this paper.
Therefore, he would like to express his gratitude and give his best appreciation to:
1. Nurlena Rifa’i, MA, Ph. D as the dean of the faculty of Tarbiya and
Teacher Training.
2. Drs. Syauki, M.Pd. as the chairman of the Department of English

Education.
3. Zaharil Anasy, M.Hum as the secretary of the Department of English

Education.
4. Drs. Nasifudin Jalil, M.Ag for his time, guidance, and advice as the
academic advisor.
5. Drs. Bahrul Hasibuan, M.Ed. and Neneng Sunengsih, M.Pd. for their time,
guidance, valuable helps, correction, and suggestion during completing
this paper.
6. A very deep thank is presented to all of the lecturers and staff of the
Department of English Education at State Islamic University Syarif
Hidayatullah Jakarta.
7. Dra. Hj Siti Nurhayati, M.Pd as the headmaster of SMPN 9 South

Tangerang and Supriyadi, S.Pd as the English Teacher at SMPN 9 South
Tangerang for their help during the research.
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8. The writer’s parents, Yusuf S.Pd and Tarni. This paper is dedicated to
them who have given him the big opportunity to experience the study from
elementary until university level and support throughout his life, their
moral support and guidance to his son.
9. The writer’s family members, his beloved brothers, Anjas and Aziiz, who
always give their support and moral encouragement in finishing his study.
10. All of his friends in C Class 2009 the Department of English Education at
State Islamic University of Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta, especially Ahmad
Fahrurrazy, Arief Rahman, and Viona Rosalina for their support and
assistance.
11. And other parties that have given helps, supports, and suggestions in
finishing this paper.
Hopefully, this paper can be useful to the readers, particularly to the

writer. Also, the writer realized that this paper is far from being perfect. It is a
pleasure for him to receive constructive criticism and suggestion from anyone
who read his paper.
Jakarta, October 2014
Anggiyana Musthachim
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
TITLE ................................................................................................ i
APPROVAL ....................................................................................... ii
ENDORSEMENT SHEET ................................................................ iii
SURAT PERNYATAAN KARYA SENDIRI ....................................... iv
ABSTRACT ....................................................................................... v
ABSTRAK ........................................................................................... vi
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ................................................................. vii
TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................... ix
LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................... xi
LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................. xii
LIST OF APPENDICES.................................................................... xiii
CHAPTER I : INTRODUCTION ..................................................... 1

A. The Background of the Study .......................................................... 1
B. The Scope of the Study.................................................................... 3
C. The Research Question .................................................................... 3
D. The Objective of the Study .............................................................. 3
E. The Significance of the Study ............................................................ 3
CHAPTER II : LITERATURE REVIEW ........................................ 4

A. Anxiety ........................................................................................... 4
1. The Nature of Anxiety ................................................................. 4
2. Types of Anxiety ......................................................................... 5
B. Anxiety and English Language Learning ......................................... 6
1. Foreign Language Anxiety .......................................................... 6
2. Impact of Foreign Language Anxiety ........................................... 8
3. Possible Factors Contributing to Foreign Language Anxiety ........ 10
C. Previous Research on Foreign Language Anxiety ............................ 14
ix
CHAPTER III : RESEARCH METHODOLOGY........................... 16
A. Research Design.............................................................................. 16
B. The Setting of the Study .................................................................. 16
C. Data Sources and Data Collection Techniques ................................. 17
1. Interview ..................................................................................... 18
2. Observation ................................................................................. 19
E. Data Analysis Techniques and The Validity of Data ........................ 20
CHAPTER VI : RESEARCH FINDINGS ....................................... 23

A. Data Description ............................................................................. 23
B. Discussion ....................................................................................... 27
1. Factors Contribute to Anxiety Comes from Teacher ..................... 27
a. Speaking in front of the class .................................................. 27
b. Incomprehensible input .......................................................... 28
c. Teachers’ personality and attitude .......................................... 29
2. Factors Contribute to Anxiety Comes from Students .................... 30
a. Being laughed at by others ..................................................... 30
b. Students’ beliefs about the language learning ......................... 31
c. Lack of preparation................................................................ 32
CHAPTER V : CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTIONS................... 34

A. Conclusion ...................................................................................... 34
B. Suggestions ..................................................................................... 34
REFERENCES .................................................................................. 36
APPENDICES.................................................................................... 38
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LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 2.1 Possible Anxiety Factors .................................................... 13
xi
LIST OF TABLES
Table 3.1 List of Codes ..................................................................... 21
Table 4.1 Factors Contribute to Anxiety (Interview Result) ............... 22
Table 4.2 Factors Contribute to Anxiety (Observation Result) ........... 31
xii
LIST OF APPENDICES
Appendix 1 Interview Transcripts ...................................................... 39
Appendix 2 Field Notes of Classroom Observations ........................... 53
Appendix 3 Surat Bimbingan Skripsi ................................................. 57
Appendix 4 Surat Izin Penelitian ....................................................... 58
Appendix 5 Surat Keterangan Penelitian .......................................... 59
xiii
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
A. The Background of the Study

Emotions are important in the classroom since it has impact on
learning. They influence learners’ ability to process information and to
accurately understand what they encounter. Brown states that emotions
affect learning in the most fundamental way because they are the
1
foundation of the learning strategies and techniques. In other words,
emotional state can encourage or discourage learning. For example,
students learn and perform more successfully when they feel secure,
happy, and excited about the subject matter. Emotions have the potential
to energize students’ thinking and also have the potential to interfere with
learning. Negative emotions such as anger, anxiety, and sadness have the
potential to distract students’ learning efforts.
Unfortunately, in the case of foreign language learning, students’
emotions tend to be more discouraging rather than encouraging. One of the
emotional states that make such process becomes difficult is anxiety.
Emotional state such as anxiety can distract students in the language
learning process. Feeling of tension, worry, and nervousness will impede
students’ ability to perform successfully in a foreign language classroom.
According to Oxford, “Most language research shows a negative
relationship between anxiety and performance.” 2 Anxiety harms students’
performance by way of worry, self-doubt, and reducing participation. In
addition, according to Krashen, debilitating anxiety can raise the affective
filter and form a 'mental block' that prevents a comprehensible input from
1
H. Douglas Brown, Breaking the Language Barrier, (Yarmouth: Intercultural Press, Inc.,
1991), p. 73
2
Rebecca L. Oxford, “Anxiety and the Language Learner: New Insights”, in Jane Arnold (ed.),
Affect in Language Learning, (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999), p. 60.
1
2
3
being used for language acquisition. Anxious students will have
difficulties in following lessons. They may learn less and also may not be
able to demonstrate what they have learned. Even worse, they may
experience more failure, which in turn escalate their anxiety.
Meanwhile, during his teaching practice in a junior secondary school,
SMPN 9 South Tangerang, the writer found signs of anxiety among the
students. Many of them got jittery, created avoidance and reduced
participation in the classroom. They were afraid and shy to practice with
the target language, in this case the target language is English, because
they were worried about making mistake. One of them thought if he made
mistake, the teacher would get angry and his peers would ridicule him. So
he preferred to be quiet and sit passively. While some of them also
believed that English was a difficult subject. Such beliefs can affect their
self-esteem and lead them to feel worry in classroom. In the end, when
they were asked to practice, they started to stutter. Moreover, some of
them were unable to produce the sound or intonation even after a number
of repetitions because they were not sure if they can practice their English.
It was quite hard for the writer to do proper learning activities with them.
In other words, anxiety can hinder the students from attaining the
objectives of their English learning. Based on the curriculum KTSP
(Kurikulum Tingkat Satuan Pendidikan), the objectives of English learning
in SMP are stated as follows:
1. To be able to develop a communicative competence whether in
written or oral form to achieve a functional literacy.
2. To have an awareness of English nature and importance to increase
national competitiveness in globalization society.
3
Ricardo Schutz, Stephen Krashen's Theory of Second Language Acquisition, 2013,
(http://www.sk.com.br/sk-krash.html)
3
3. To develop learners understanding about the language and the

nature relation.4
Since anxiety can have major effects on foreign language learning, it
is important to explore the students’ anxiety. Therefore, the writer is eager
to investigate what factors, as perceived by students, may contribute to the
anxiety in an attempt to understand the issue of anxiety in learning English
more deeply.
B. The Scope of the Study
This study focuses on the causes of students’ anxiety in learning
English, as perceived by students, at 8th grade of SMPN 9 South
Tangerang.
C. The Research Question
Based on the background above, the writer formulates a research
question as follows: “What factors do students believe to contribute to
their anxiety in learning English?”
D. The Objective of the Study
The objective of this study is to figure out what factors are more
probable to cause anxiety as perceived by the students at 8th grade of
SMPN 9 South Tangerang.
E. The Significance of the Study
The result of this study is intended to broaden the perspective of the
writer in particular and the reader in general.
4
Depdiknas, Standar Isi Untuk Satuan Pendidikan Dasar dan Menengah (Standar
Kompetensi dan Kompetensi Dasar SMP/MTs, BSNP), (Badan Standar Nasional Pendidikan,
2006)
CHAPTER II
LITERATURE REVIEW
A. Anxiety
1. The Nature of Anxiety
Anxiety is one of the most well documented psychological
phenomena. In general anxiety appears from human body as a
response to a particular situation. Commonly anxiety can be identified
as a feeling of being threatened, apprehension, tension, or worry.
There are several definitions of anxiety which are found by the
writer. According to Carlson and Buskist, anxiety is “a sense of
apprehension or doom that is accompanied by certain physiological
reactions, such as accelerated heart rate, sweaty palms, and tightness in
the stomach.”1 Furthermore, anxiety arises as a response to a particular
situation. Passer and Smith define anxiety as a state of tension and
apprehension as a natural response to perceived threat. 2 It means that
people are naturally feels anxious when they are threatened. While
according to Ormrod anxiety is a feeling of uneasiness and
apprehension concerning a situation with an uncertain outcome.3
Although anxiety and fear sounds similar, both are actually
different. Halgin and Whitbourne describe the difference between fear
and anxiety, fear is a natural alarm response to a dangerous situation
while anxiety is more future-oriented, a feeling of apprehension and
uneasiness about the possibility of something terrible might happen.4
1
Neil R. Carlson and William Buskist, Psychology: The Science of Behavior, (Needham
Heights: Viacom Company, 1997), p. 570.
2
Michael W. Passer and Ronald E. Smith, Psychology: The Science of Mind and Behavior,
(New York: McGraw-Hill, 2009), p. 546.
3
Jeanne Ellis Ormrod, Educational Psychology: Developing Learner, (Boston: Pearson
Education Inc., 2011), p. 401.
4
Richard P. Halgin and Susan Krauss Whitbourne, Abnormal Psychology: Clinical
Perspectives on Psychological Disorders, (New York: McGraw-Hill, 2007), p. 148.
4
5
Furthermore, According to Barlow, as cited in Passer and Smith,

Anxiety responses consist of emotional component, feeling of
tension; cognitive component, worry; physiological responses,
increased heart rate and blood pressure; and behavioral responses,
avoidance of certain situations.5
From the definitions explained above, it can be concluded that

anxiety is a feeling of being threatened, of apprehension, tension, and
worry as a response to a particular situation or something that might
happen in the future.
2. Types of Anxiety
Several kinds of anxiety have been described. Two of the most
well-known is state anxiety and trait anxiety. Anxiety that arises when
confronted with specific situations is called state anxiety. Most people
experienced state anxiety which also known as a normal anxiety.
According to Ormrod, “state anxiety is temporary feeling of anxiety
elicited by a threatening situation.”6 It is nervousness or tension at a
particular moment in response to some outside stimulus. This type of
anxiety arises in a particular situation or in a stressful event and hence
is not permanent. In other words, it is a situational anxious feeling that
disappears when threatening situation goes away.
However, in certain cases, anxiety comes more intense and lasted
for long. This kind of anxiety is called trait anxiety. According to
Ormrod, “trait anxiety is pattern of responding with anxiety even in
7
nonthreatening situations.” Such anxiety is a part of a person’s
character. People with trait anxiety tend to worry more than most
people and feel inappropriately threatened by several things in the
environment. In other words, trait anxiety is the tendency of a person
to be nervous or feel anxious irrespective of the situation he/she is
exposed to.
5
Passer and Smith, 2009, loc. cit.
6
Ormrod, 2011, loc. cit.
7
Ibid.
6
Based on the intensity, duration and situations, anxiety can be

divided into two types: State anxiety; feeling of apprehension and
nervousness as reaction to particular situation, and trait anxiety; more
intense anxiety that depends on ones individual regardless of the
situation.
B. Anxiety and English Language Learning

1. Foreign Language Anxiety
There is a certain term for anxiety that linked to language
performance. The term Language Anxiety and Foreign Language
Anxiety are commonly used interchangeably. Foreign language
anxiety is a specific anxiety which is related to language learning and
use. According to Brown, foreign language anxiety is “a feeling of
intimidation and inadequacy over the prospect of learning a foreign
language.”8 In addition, according to Gardner and MacIntyre, as cited
in Oxford, “It is fear or apprehension occurring when a learner is
expected to perform in the target language.” 9 Furthermore, Horwitz,
and Cope, proposed conceptual foundations of foreign language
anxiety. Based on them, foreign language anxiety appears in the form
of anxiety such as: communication apprehension, test anxiety, and fear
of negative evaluation.10
Communication Apprehension is a type of shyness characterized
by fear of or anxiety about communication with people. According to
McCroskey J.C., as cited in Jason S. Wrench, communication
apprehension is “an individual’s fear or anxiety associated with either
8
H. Douglas Brown, Breaking the Language Barrier, (Yarmouth: Intercultural Press, Inc.,
1991), p. 80.
9
10
Elaine K. Horwitz, et. al., Foreign Language Anxiety, The Modern Language Journal, Vol.
70, 1986, p. 127.
7
real or anticipated communication with another person or persons.” 11

Communication apprehension plays large role in foreign language
anxiety since interpersonal interactions are the major emphasis in
foreign language class. In foreign language class students are required
to communicate with the target language by ways of speaking and
listening. Their limited capabilities in the target language may derive
students into a communication apprehension. Communication
apprehension exist because students think that they will have difficulty
understanding others in listening and making oneself understood in
speaking.
Since performance evaluation is frequent in most foreign language
classes, test anxiety is also closely related to a discussion of foreign
language anxiety. Based on Sarason, as cited in Oxford, test anxiety is
“the tendency to become alarmed about the consequences of
inadequate performance on a test or other evaluation”. 12 It means this
kind of anxiety occurs in an evaluation situation. Students with test
anxiety might have unpleasant experience on their previous tests which
makes them fear of failing the upcoming test. These students may also
have false belief about foreign language learning. They put unrealistic
demand that they should feel that anything than a perfect test is a
failure.
Another anxiety related to foreign language learning is fear of
negative evaluation. Watson and Friend, as cited in Horwitz, defined
fear of negative evaluation as “apprehension about others’ evaluations,
avoidance of evaluative situations, and the expectations that other
would evaluate oneself negatively.” 13 In foreign language learning
11
Jason S. Wrench, et. al., What Is Communication Apprehension?, 2014, (www.
2012books.lardbucket.org/books/public-speaking-practice-and-ethics/s06-01-what-is-
communication-apprehen.html)
12
Oxford, 1999, op. cit., p. 64.
13
Horwitz, 1986, op. cit., p. 128.
8
context, students are prone to have a fear of negative evaluation from

both teacher as the only fluent speaker in the class and their peers.
However, Horwitz, Horwitz, and Cope also believe that foreign
language anxiety is not simply the combination of those performance
anxiety related to foreign language learning context. They also
proposed that, “foreign language anxiety as a distinct complex of self-
perception, beliefs, feelings, and behaviors related to classroom
language learning arising from the uniqueness of the language learning
process."14
Based on description above, it could be said that foreign language
anxiety is a feeling or uneasiness, nervousness, worry and
apprehension experienced when learning or using the target language.
2. Impact of Foreign Language Anxiety

Basically, uneasiness feeling such anxiety will disturb students in
no doubt. It absolutely affects students’ learning effort and
performance. Anxious students will think less clearly and probably
make more mistakes. Moreover, to perform a task they have to work
harder because anxiety makes them worry and distracts their learning
process.
Anxiety has long been recognized by educators as a potential
problem in foreign language classroom. Anxious student will have
difficulty in their language learning since anxiety affects cognition
processing. According to Ormrod, anxiety can interfere with several
aspects of cognition in learning process. Anxious student may be
disturbed in paying attention to what needs to be learned, processing
information effectively, retrieving information, and demonstrating skill
that have previously been learned.15 In other words, foreign language
14
Ibid., p. 128.
15
Ormrod, 2011, op. cit., p. 402.
9
anxiety belongs to debilitating anxiety because it can hinder language

learning.
Similar with Ormrod, MacIntyre as cited in Young, also believed
that anxiety can affect students’ cognitive processing. He proposed a
variation of the Tobias model of the effects of anxiety on learning from
instruction which consist of three stages: input, processing, and
output.16 Further, anxiety can affect students’ cognitive performance at
any or all of the three stages. It means if anxiety disrupts the cognitive
work at one stage, then information is not passed along to the next
stage.
At the input stage, foreign language anxiety acts like a filter that
preventing some information from getting into the cognitive
processing. This is similar to Krashen’s well-known concept of the
“affective filter”. Krashen state that anxiety can raise affective filter
and form of a ‘mental block that prevents a comprehensible input from
17
being used for language acquisition. For example, anxious student
may not be able to gather information of the language rules and
vocabulary because anxiety interfere their ability to process
information.
During the processing stage, anxiety acts as a distraction. It
distracts student in processing information effectively. When they are
worried, anxious student may learn less and may not be able to digest
new words, phrases, grammar, and so on or may also take more time to
process the lesson.
While at the output stage, anxiety can influence the quality of
students’ foreign language performance. Students with anxiety in this
stage may not be able to demonstrate what they have learned.
16
MacIntyre and Peter D., “Language Anxiety: A Review of the Research for Language
Teachers”, in Dolly Jesusita Young (ed.), Affect in Foreign Language and Second Language
Learning: a Practical Guide to Creating a Low-Anxiety Classroom Atmosphere, (Boston:
McGraw-Hill, 1999), p. 35.
17
Ricardo Schutz, Stephen Krashen's Theory of Second Language Acquisition, 2013,
(http://www.sk.com.br/sk-krash.html)
10
Moreover, Oxford described that “anxiety harms learner’s through

worry and self-doubt and also by reducing participation and creating
overt-avoidance of the language.” He also mentioned certain aspects
that have negative correlation of anxiety such as: grades in language
courses, proficiency test performance, performance in speaking and
writing tasks, self-confidence and self-esteem in language learning.18
Based on the description above, it could be said that the existence
of foreign language anxiety can affect the fluency of learner’s speech
and learning in general.
3. Possible Factors Contributing to Foreign Language

Anxiety
Anxiety can rise from various sources. It sometimes comes from
classroom activities and methods which related to teachers instructions
and tasks. For example, speaking activities, it appears frequently as
one of the anxiety provoking factor. Horwitz, Horwitz, and Cope found
that speaking in the foreign language as the most anxiety-producing
experience.19 While Koch and Terrell as cited in Oxford, also found
oral skits and oral presentation in the front of the class as the most
anxiety producing activities. They also noted that being called on to
respond orally can produce anxiety.20 Speaking activities are prone to
anxiety. In speaking students are tried to communicate in their limited
capabilities. They also fear of being negatively evaluated by the
teacher and peers which exposed their inadequacies. Moreover, in
some cases students often laughed at their peers who make a mistake.
It absolutely makes students fear of making mistake. They fear of
making fool of themselves in public so they prefer to be quiet rather
18
Oxford, 1999, op. cit., pp. 60-61.
19
Horwitz, 1986, op. cit. p. 129.
20
11
than speak to practice their English. Price found that fear of being
laughed at by other is one of the greatest sources of anxiety.21
In addition, inappropriate ways of teaching can also contribute to
students’ anxiety, for example speaking too much fast. According to
Worde, the inability to understand what is being said in the classroom
22
often lead to communication apprehension. Besides, threatening
teaching method like calling on students one after another in seating
order may also generated anxiety. Oxford also noted that “harsh
correction, ridicule and the uncomfortable handling of mistake in front
of a class are among the most important instructor-learner interaction
issues related to language anxiety.”23 Students’ might also feel anxious
because of the excessive material demand. They find that foreign
language class stressful when they don’t have sufficient time to
understand the lesson because the amount of the materials is excessive.
Moreover, the level of difficulty of foreign language class and the poor
of result of students may elicit anxiety when compared to other classes.
So, they may find that the foreign language class is more demanding
and more difficult than other class.
Besides the above factors, sometimes anxiety also comes from the
students themselves. One is their beliefs about language learning.
Some students find language difficult because they are conditioned to
believe that the language is difficult. For example, students believe that
they should be able to speak perfectly. While others think that English
is a difficult subject. Such beliefs can lead to language anxiety.
Horwitz et al. noted that “certain beliefs about language learning also
21
Mary Lou Price, “The Subjective Experience of Foreign Language Anxiety: Interviews with
Highly Anxious Students ”, in Elaine K. Horwitz and Dolly J. Young (ed.), Language Anxiety:
from Theory and Research to Classroom Implications, (New Jersey: Prentice-Hall Inc., 1991), p.
105.
22
Renee von Worde, Students’ Perspectives on Foreign Language Anxiety, Inquiry, Vol. 8 No.
1, 2003, p. 5.
23
12
contribute to the students’ tension and frustration in the classroom.” 24

This also indicates that low self-esteem can generate anxiety. Price
noted that anxious students believed their language skill were weaker
25
than any other students. Mostly it comes from their learning
experience. A stressful learning experience will condition the students
to believe that the language learning is difficult. This belief is quite
enough to generate negative thinking to the present language learning.
Eventually, this usually lead the students to avoid every single thing
about the language learning includes preparation for classroom
activities or a test. According to Marwan, lack of preparation was the
26
major contributor of students’ anxiety. Lack of preparation will
absolutely make students feel anxious. They fear if they cannot
perform well.
24
Horwitz, 1986, op. cit., p. 127.
25
Price, 1991, op. cit., p. 106.
26
Ardi Marwan, Investigating Students’ Foreign Language Anxiety, Malaysian Journal of ELT
Research, Vol. 3, 2007, p. 48.
13
Here is the illustration of possible factors contributing to anxiety

adapted from Horwitz27, Worde28, and Price29:
fear of
negative evby
Classroom activites; speaking
aluation
eacherstro peers; ridiculed
From teacher threatening acts; harsh correction
Inappropriate ways of teaching
incomprehensible
input
Excessive
Factors contributing to anxiety
Materials
level of
difficulty the language is difficult
beliefs about language learning
should perfect while speaking
From Students low-self esteem
stressful learning experience
lack of preparation
Figure 2. 1 Possible anxiety factors adapted from Horwitz, Worde, and Price.
27
Horwitz, 1986, op. cit. pp. 129-130.
28
Worde, 2003, loc. cit .
29
Price, 1991, op. cit., pp. 105-106.
14
C. Previous Research on Foreign Language Anxiety

Many people have investigated the issue of foreign language anxiety
from different perspective. Worde in his investigation to the cause of
language learning anxiety found that speaking activities, inability to
comprehend, negative classroom experiences, fear of negative evaluation,
native speakers, methodology, pedagogical practices and the teachers
themselves as the main causes of learning anxiety.30
Chan and Wu conducted a study of foreign language anxiety of EFL
elementary school students in Taipei. By the way of questionnaire,
interviews, classroom observations, and document collection, they found
five sources of language anxiety. They were low proficiency, fear of
negative evaluation, competition of games, anxious personality, and
pressure from students themselves and their parents.31
Marwan investigated Indonesian students’ foreign language anxiety.
He tried to find out the types of anxiety experienced by foreign language
learners and the strategies they used to cope with their anxiety. Factors
like lack of confidence, lack of preparation and fear of failing the class
were the primary causes of their anxiety.32
In a similar study, William and Andrade examined anxiety in Japanese
EFL classes in order to find out the type of situation that provoked the
anxiety and the ability to cope with the anxiety. Their findings indicated
that anxiety was most often associated with the output and processing
stages of the learning process. Furthermore, they found that fear of
receiving negative evaluation, speaking in front of the class, and random
30
Worde, 2003, op. cit., p.4.
31
D. Y. Chan & G. Wu, A Study of Foreign Language Anxiety of EFL Elementary School
Students in Taipei Country, Journal of National Taipei Teachers College, Vol. 17, No.2, 2004, p.
287.
32
Marwan, 2007, op. cit., p. 43.
15
selection; procedure that the teacher used for calling the students were
cited as sources of anxiety.33
In an effort to explore learner coping strategies for foreign language
anxiety, Keiko Iizuka surveyed 105 students of English language program at a University in J
(and classmate) talk, fear of making mistake in presentation, and student’s
34
feelingabouthis/herownEnglish proficiency.
33
Kenneth E. Williams and Melvin R. Andrade, Foreign Language Learning Anxiety in
Japanses EFL University Classes: Causes, Coping and Locus of Control, Electronic Journal of
Foreign Language Teaching, Vol. 5, No. 2, 2008, p. 186.
34
Keiko Iizuka, Learner Coping Strategies for Foreign Language Anxiety, JALT2009
Conference Proceedings, 2010, p. 106.
CHAPTER III
RESEARCH
METHODOLOGY
A. Research Design
This study employed the qualitative research method with case study
approach. Qualitative method was chosen because this study aims at
providing an insight into the case of language anxiety in the 8 th grade of
SMPN 9 South Tangerang, specifically anxiety in learning English.
According to Fraenkel and Wallen, case study is a qualitative study
approach that studies a single individual, group, or important example to
formulate interpretations to the specific case or to provide useful
generalization.1 Therefore, the study case approach allowed the writer to
study particular students in an attempt to understand the case of language
anxiety.
B. The Setting of the Study

The setting of the study was SMPN 9 South Tangerang. It is a junior
secondary school which located in Jalan Lontar Matril, Sarua Permai,
Pamulang, South Tangerang, Banten. The school was established in 1991
and has been operated since 1992. There are eight classes registered from
grade VII until IX. English is taught as compulsory subject. There are two
meetings in a week with time allocation 80 minutes for each meeting.
The study conducted at SMPN 9 South Tangerang from April 14 to
May 17, 2014. It consisted of interviews and multiple classroom
observations for around a month in class 8.8. The first three weeks were
used for interviews and the rest of the weeks used for classroom
observations.
1
Jack R. Fraenkel and Norman E. Wallen, How to Design and Evaluate Research in
Education: Seventh Edition, (New York: The McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009), p. 13.
16
17
To determine the participants of this study, the writer used a purposive

sampling in order to help the writer understand the phenomenon being
studied. According to Creswell, purposeful sampling is aimed to learn or
understand the central phenomenon by selecting individuals and sites
intentionally.2 The participants of the study were a number of SMPN 9
South Tangerang students in class 8.7 who were considered to be anxious
in English class based on the characteristics of anxious students illustrated
by Oxford such as:
 General avoidance: Showing carelessness, low levels of verbal
production, lack of volunteering in class, seeming inability to
answer even the simplest questions.
 Physical actions: Squirming, stuttering or stammering, displaying
jittery behavior, conversational withdrawal, lack of eye contact,
image protection or masking behavior (exaggerated smiling,
laughing, nodding, joking), and being unable to reproduce the
sounds or intonation of the target language even after repeated.3
Students who showed those characteristics were selected as the
participants.
C. Data Sources and Data Collection Techniques
To obtain the data, the writer used two techniques of data collection.
Since the study is a case study, therefore the writer use in-depth interview
technique as the primary technique and then it is followed by classroom
observation for a validity check.
2
John W. Creswell, Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating Quantitative
and Qualitative Research, Fourth Edition, (Boston: Pearson Education, Inc., 2012), p. 206.
3
18
1. Interview
Interview is a data collection technique by way of interviewing
selected individual as a respondent. Furthermore, it is a direct face to
face attempt to obtain reliable and valid measures in the form of
verbal responses from one or more respondents. According to Bungin,
in-depth interview is a process to obtain information for the purpose of
research by face to face questioning between the interviewer and
informant or interviewee, with or without the use of an interview
guide.4
Before conducting the interview, the writer observed the class in
order to find anxious students as the participants. The observation
guide was followed, using the signs of language anxiety by Oxford, as
explained on the previous page.
Students who showed the signs of language anxiety were asked if
they ever experienced anxiety in English class. The first step in
conducting the interview was to obtain a poll of the students who
considered themselves to be anxious in English class and were willing
to be interviewed.
The participants recruited in several ways. Those students whose
responses suggested high levels of anxiety were asked and invited to
participate. Furthermore, the writer also contacted the teacher for
referrals of students who appeared to be highly anxious in the class.
Most of the students were willing to participate, and some looked to
be quite eager to share their experiences.
During the initial process with the students, the writer explained
the nature of the study and that all interviews would be conducted in
Bahasa, students’ first language, to elicit answers without limiting or
inhibiting the students. Those who indicated a willingness to
participate were scheduled for an interview.
4
Burhan Bungin, Penelitian Kualitatif: Edisi Kedua (Jakarta: Kencana Prenada Media Group,
2007), p. 111.
19
Later on, fifteen participants were interviewed. From fifteen, four

were eliminated from the study because their interview did not
indicate that they experienced the anxiety or because they were unable
to answer the interviewer’s questions. The eleven remaining
participants, nine were males and two were females. All were students
of class 8.7. Each interview spent for about ten minutes and was
recorded with participants’ permission. The interview guide was
5
adapted from Price focusing on foreign language anxiety. The
following questions were asked:
1. Please tell me something about how you have felt during
English classes?
2. What bothers you the most about English classes?
3. Do you have any idea why you feel so anxious in your English
classes?
4. How do you think people in your classroom will react if you
make a mistake?
5. Do you think English is a difficult language to learn?
6. Have your teacher played a role in your feelings, either good
or bad, about your English classes?
7. Do you have any ideas of how English classes might be less
stressful?
2. Observation
Another data collection technique is observation. Observation,
according to Bungin, is a data collection technique used to collect
6
research data through observation and sensing. In this case, the
observation conducted by observing students’ behavior during
teaching and learning.
5
Mary Lou Price, “The Subjective Experience of Foreign Language Anxiety: Interviews with
Highly Anxious Students ”, in Elaine K. Horwitz and Dolly J. Young (ed.), Language Anxiety:
from Theory and Research to Classroom Implications, (New Jersey: Prentice-Hall Inc., 1991), p.
103.
6
Bungin, 2007, op. cit., p. 118.
20
The writers’ role in the observation was non-participant. He

observed all of the students in class 8.8, especially the eleven
participants who had an interview with the writer before. In two
weeks, two meetings were observed. Each observation lasted
approximately 80 minutes, following the duration of a meeting. The
writer observed the signs of language anxiety as suggested by Oxford 7
that appeared in every single phase of English learning took place in
the classroom. Furthermore, the observation was used to find out
when was students likely to feel anxious and in what situations that
might trigger their anxiety in English class.
D. Data Analysis Techniques and the Validity of Data
The process of data analysis fell into three major phases following the
framework of qualitative analysis developed by Miles and Huberman: data
reduction, data display, and conclusion drawing and verification.
1. Data Reduction
First, the mass of the data has to be organized and
somehow meaningfully reduced or reconfigured. According to
Miles and Huberman, data reduction refers to the process of
selecting, focusing, simplifying, abstracting, and transforming
the data.8
In reducing the data, the writer chose which aspects of the
data that appeared in the interview transcriptions and field
notes, should be emphasized, minimized, or set aside
completely for the purposes of the research. Further, the writer
put code on each meaningful unit based on the list of codes
(table 3.1). Then, the writer examined all the relevant data
7
Oxford, 1999, loc. cit.
8
Matthew B. Miles and A. Michael Huberman, Qualitative Data Analysis: An Expanded
Sourcebook, Second Edition, (Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications, 1994), p. 10.
21
sources for description and themes which will be used for the
research findings.
Table 3.1
List of Codes
Factors Contribute to Anxiety codes

AF: Factors from teacher AF-T
AF: Teachers’ personality AF-TP
AF: Speaking in front of the class AF-TSP

AF: Incomprehensible Input AF-TII
AF: Factors from students AF-S

AF: Ridiculed by peers AF-SR
AF: Beliefs about English AF-SB
English is difficult AF-SB/DF
Low self-esteem AF-SB/LO
AF: Lack of preparation AF-SLK
Data Display
Data display is the second phase in Miles and Huberman’s model of qualitative data a
The writer displayed the data that have been reduced in order to facilitate for data inte
Conclusion Drawing and Verification
Conclusion drawing involves stepping back to consider

what analyzed data mean and to assess their implication for the
research question. In this phase, the writer drew meaning from
the data in a display.
Furthermore, the data have to be checked for their
sturdiness and confirmability. The writer checked the
22
validation of the data using triangulation strategy. According

to Miles and Huberman, triangulating is a tactic for verifying
or confirming findings by using multiple sources and modes of
9
evidence. The writer examined multiple sources, such as
interview responses and observational data as many times as
necessary to obtain the valid findings of this study.
9
Ibid., p. 267.
CHAPTER IV
RESEARCH FINDINGS
A. Data Description
The data were gathered through structured interview with the participants who considered to be
1. The Result of Interview
Table 4.1
Factors Contribute to Anxiety
Interview Participants Answers/Factors Contribute to Anxiety

[AF]
1st. interview Unclear explanation [AF-TII], asked to speak in front
of the class [AF-TSP], explain mostly in English [AF-
TII], ridiculed by peers [AF-SR], limited vocabulary
[AF-SB/LO], studying less [AF-SLK], asked by the
teacher [AF-TSP], unannounced test [AF-TP],
threatening attitude [AF-TP],
2nd Interview Asked by the teacher [AF-TSP], unclear explanation
[AF-TII], ignored by the teacher [AF-TP], getting left
behind [AF-TII], studying less [AF-SLK], do not
understand what teacher said [AF-TII], the teacher
mostly using English [AF-TII], ridiculed by peers
[AF-SR], the way teacher acts and behave [AF-TP],
3rd interview Being called by the teacher [AF-TSP], asked by the
teacher to speak in front of the class [AF-TSP],
23
24
having turn to speak [AF-TSP], unclear explanation

[AF-TII], ridiculed by peers [AF-SR],
4th interview English is difficult [AF-SB/DF], do not understand
what teacher said [AF-TII], explain too fast [AF-TII],
speak in front of the class [AF-TSP], ridiculed by
peers [AF-SR],
5th interview Ridiculed by peers [AF-SR], asked to speak in front
of the class [AF-TSP], limited vocabulary [AF-
SB/LO], English is difficult [AF-SB/DF],
6th interview Unclear explanation [AF-TII], asked to speak in front
of the class [AF-TSP], ridiculed by peers [AF-SR],
studying less [AF-SLK], English is difficult [AF-
SB/DF], feel other students are better [AF-SB/LO],
explain too fast [AF-TII],
7th interview English is difficult [AF-SB/DF], speak in front of the
class [AF-TSP], ridiculed by peers [AF-SR],
8th interview Being called by the teacher [AF-TSP], asked to
practice [AF-TSP], do not understand what teacher
said [AF-TII], ridiculed by peers [AF-SR],
9th interview English is difficult [AF-SB/DF], do not understand
what teacher said [AF-TII], ridiculed by peers [AF-
SR],
th
10 interview Suddenly asked by the teacher [AF-TSP], unclear
explanation [AF-TII], fear of being ridiculed by
others [AF-SR], feel other students are better [AF-
SB/LO], limited vocabulary [AF-SB/LO], English is
difficult [AF-SB/DF], threatening attitude [AF-TP],
11th interview Unclear explanation [AF-TII], explain too fast [AF-
TII], getting left behind [AF-TII], speak in front of
the class [AF-TSP], ridiculed by peers [AF-SR],
25
Based on the table 4.1, it shows that unclear explanation and speaking
activities were the aspects that bothered the participants most about
English class. They also spoke of their fear of making mistake and being
ridiculed by peers. Further/then, when asked why feel so anxious, the
participants responded that they feel anxious when do not understand what
teacher said and do not prepare enough. Again, they also spoke fear of
being ridicule by peers so they became anxious. Moreover, they thought
that they feel anxious because only had limited vocabulary and grammar
knowledge. They also felt that other students are better than them.
While asked how people react if someone make a mistake, they all
responded that their peers will laughed. The writer also examined the
participants’ beliefs about English language. Most of the participants also
admitted that English was difficult. They thought that they need to know
every word to understand what being said in English. They also thought
that other students were better than them.
Further, the participants also asked how teacher influenced their

feelings. They responded that the teacher can generate anxiety by the way
they act and behave such as harsh and threatening method, spoke too much
fast, and forced them to practice. Last, the participants suggested that the
teacher should teach more slowly and comprehensible by using English
moderately. They also wanted the teacher to encourage them and not
forced them to practice. Moreover, they argued that a group learning and
an extra time to absorb the lesson would be very helpful.
And the table below is a data display compiled from classroom

observation.
26
2. The result of Observation
Table 4.2
Factors Contribute to Anxiety
Factors contribute to Anxiety Signs

[AF]
Speaking activities: speaking in front of Avoidance; lack of eye
the class [AF-TSP], being called on by contact, pretend to be busy
teacher or waiting turn [AF-TSP], did by reading a book or writing
not know how to answer teacher’s a note, refuse teachers
question [AF-TSP], worried about instruction to practice.
grammatical mistake worried about Physical; fidgeting,
pronunciation [AF-SB/LO] stuttering, stammering,
lowering the voice, speak too
much fast and sweating.
Ridiculed by others [AF-SR] Physical; Lose focus,
fidgeting, lowering the voice,
squirming, stammering,
stuttering, jittering, and
sweating or smiling,
laughing to cover
anxiousness.
When teacher deliver a lesson: Avoidance; showing
incomprehensible input [AF-TII], carelessness, lack of eye
teacher speak too much fast [AF-TII], contact, chatting with peers,
fear of getting left behind [AF-TII]. Physical; fidgeting,
confusing, worried.
Based on the table 4.2, it shows that students might feel anxious at
some situations. Students were mostly anxious in speaking activities such
27
as speaking in front of the class, being called on by the teacher or waiting

turn to speak. They also worried about grammatical and pronunciation
mistake.
It also revealed that students often laughed at student who made a

mistake. Some students appeared to be anxious when their peers ridiculed
them. Further, it also appeared that students might feel anxious when the
teacher delivered a lesson. They began to feel uneasy when not understand
the lesson.
B. Discussion
The findings suggested several factors that possibly contribute to the

students’ anxiety in their English class. It also indicated that those factors
were not only come from teacher but also the students. Based on the
findings, the factors that contribute to anxiety could be classified as
follows:
1. Factors Contribute to Anxiety comes from Teacher

a. Speaking in front of the class
Most of the participants responded that they were very
concerned about having to speak in front of the class. They
frequently answered that they started to worry when their
teacher asked them to practice their speaking in front of the
class. While the other said that they started to panic when
have to speak English. Many also commented that they get
anxious when suddenly teacher asked them a question. One
student reported that just simply being called on can
produce anxiety.
Moreover, some of the participants confessed that they
felt uneasy because all the students pay attention to them.
28
They fear of being negatively evaluated by both teacher and

peers which can expose their inadequacies. Furthermore,
they thought it might happen because of their limited
vocabulary and grammatical knowledge.
During observation it also found that students appeared
to be anxious when speaking in front of others. Some of
them lowered their voices or read faster to avoid the teacher
correction. While several other were likely to avoid their
teacher by pretended to be busy writing a note or read a
book. Few even refuse the teacher’s instruction to practice
their speaking skill in front of the class in an effort to avoid
humiliation or embarrassment of being called to speak.
Similar result was found by Iizuka (2010) that students
experienced anxiety in some contexts. One of the contexts
is speaking in front of the class. These finding is also
consistent with Koch and Terrel, as cited in Oxford (1999)
that oral presentation is the most anxiety producing
activities. He added that being called on to respond orally
was also anxiety producing. Horwitz et al. (1986) also
noted that students are very self-conscious about speaking
foreign language in front of others students, those feeling
often lead to fear or even panic. Moreover, according to
them difficulty in speaking in dyads or groups or in public
are all manifestations of communication apprehension.
b. Incomprehensible input
According to the participants, unclear explanation may
also contribute to their anxiety in learning English. The
interview indicated that most of the participants get so
bothered when they don’t understand a lesson. They told
that they started to feel uneasy when they don’t understand
29
what teacher said. Some of them added that they fear they
would not understand all the language input which simply
increased the probability of their failure.
Many complained that the teacher spoke too much fast.
In addition, other also felt that the English class moved so
quickly. Several other participants reported that they often
feel intimidated when the teacher only using English when
giving a lesson. One replied that he got so annoyed when he
didn’t understand a lesson. The other one also admitted that
an extra time would be very helpful for him to digest the
lesson.
Moreover, the result of the observation revealed that
some students looked confused when the teacher gave a
lesson. A few even showed carelessness by chatting with
their friend next to them or drawing something maybe to
reduce their anxiousness.
According to Horwitz et al. (1986) difficulty in
listening to or learning a spoken message are manifestations
of communication apprehension. Worde (2003) also noted
that incomprehension provoked considerable amount of
anxiety. Moreover, similar result was found by Iizuka
(2010) that difficulty in following teachers’ talk lead to
anxiety.
c. Teachers’ personality and attitude

The two previous factors discussed, speaking in front
of the class and incomprehensible input, both indicated that
it was clear teacher had played significant role in the
amount of anxiety. However, other factors mentioned by
the participants were also appeared to be generated by
teacher.
30
Some participants reported that they got anxious when

teacher overly criticized students’ mistake. It made them
feel very intimidated. They also commented that they
started to feel uncomfortable or worried when suddenly the
teacher gave them a quiz or a test. Furthermore, they
suggested that teacher should show their empathy and
encouragement to their students.
Few other students complained that the teacher
sometimes showing apathetic attitude. One told his
experience that one day he asked about a lesson but the
teacher just ignored him. The teacher ordered him to ask his
friend instead of answer the question. The other one told
similar story. The teacher didn’t want to repeat the
explanation. He added the teacher accused him didn’t hear
the explanation so the teacher refused to repeat.
Price (1991) noted that some teachers had increased
students’ anxiety. These findings were also consistent with
Oxford (1999) who classified the most important teacher-
learner interaction related to language anxiety into three
issues such as harsh correction, ridicule, and the
uncomfortable handling of mistake in front of a class.
Similar results were found by Worde (2003) that some
pedagogical and instructional practices brought by the
teacher can lead to anxiety.
2. Factors Contribute to Anxiety comes from Students

a. Being laughed at by others
Another factor that play great role in contributing the
participants into anxious feeling is unsupportive manner
such as ridicule by peers or teacher. They all thought that
people in their classroom will laugh at them if they make a
31
mistake. In other words they all were very concerned about

being laughed at by others or making fool of themselves in
public.
Moreover, some of them had painful memories of
being ridiculed by other students. They admitted that their
peers often ridiculed or even sometimes shouted at them if
they make a mistake. It just simply makes them lose their
focus and feel so embarrassed. This finding also indicated
that is why they get so nervous when had to speak in front
of the class.
In addition, this finding is supported by the result of
observation that indeed most students were likely to
laughed at their peers when he or she made a mistake. The
worst thing was the students who made mistake just started
to lose their focus. Their mind went blank and remained
silent for a moment. They fidgeting, squirming, stammering
or stuttering. They looked so disturbed, worried and even
sweating. While some of them just smiled or also laughed
to cover their anxious feeling.
Similar result was found by Price (1991) that fear of
being laughed at by other as one of the greatest sources of
anxiety. Moreover, this finding is also consistent with
Oxford (1999), he noted that ridicule is one of the most
important issue related to language anxiety.
b. Students’ beliefs about the language learning

Certain beliefs were also found as factor that may
contribute to students’ anxiety. The interview revealed that
English has gained reputation as notorious lesson. Many of
the participants felt that English was a difficult subject.
They often think that they just cannot speak correctly or
32
understand the lesson. They also felt less competent than

other students. They kept thinking that other students were
way better than them. In other words they had a low self
esteem.
Furthermore, some of them replied that they felt
overwhelmed by the language rules. While several others
admitted they had a problem with their vocabulary. They
believed that in order to understand what being said in
English they must understand every word.
Moreover, during observation it also revealed that
students were too afraid to become active in their
classroom. Most students were passive. They preferred to
wait for the teachers, just followed, and did whatever the
teacher told them to do.
These findings were consistent with Horwitz et al.
(1986) that certain beliefs about language learning also
contribute to the students’ tension and frustration in the
classroom. In addition, Price (1991) found that anxious
students believed their language skill were weaker than any
other students. He added that unsuccessful language learner
often have lower self-esteem than successful language
learner. Similar result was found by Marwan (2007) that
lack of confidence is one of the primary causes of students’
anxiety.
c. Lack of preparation
The findings indicated that lack of preparation was also
factors that contribute to the students’ anxiety. Few
admitted that they usually get very anxious when they
didn’t prepare enough for test or speaking practice. One
blamed himself for get so much worried because he was
33
studying less. Similar result was found by Marwan (2007)

that lack of preparation was the major contributor of
students’ anxiety. In addition, Iizuka (2010) also found that
participating in class without enough preparation often lead to anxiety.
CHAPTER V
CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTIONS
A. Conclusion
While other studies of foreign language anxiety focus on either both

college or high school level, this present study focus on junior secondary
school level and shows clear and convincing evidence of the causes of
students’ anxiety in learning English. According to the students, there are
various factors that may contribute to their anxiety. There are at least six
factors which are found in this study, they are: speaking in front of the
class, being laughed at by others, incomprehensible input, teacher,
students’ beliefs, lack of preparation. The sources of these factors are not
only from the teacher but also from the students. Moreover, those factors
were discussed in this study, which deepened our understanding of foreign
language anxiety.
The experiences of the students provide a great deal of information

about students’ anxiety in learning English. They offer insights on what
may contribute to their anxiety as well as what teacher can do to reduce
that anxiety. In other words students can provide valuable information
about their anxiety in learning English. Therefore, it is important to use
their insights to create a more relaxing environment.
B. Suggestions
Although this study was carried out with a small number of
participants within a short period of time, the findings provide some useful
information that can be used by both teacher and stakeholders to improve
the quality of English teaching and learning.
34
35
Based on the result of this study, there are a number of suggestion can
be made to reduce anxiety in English class. First, the teacher should be
aware of foreign language anxiety. This study indicated that teachers’
awareness of students’ anxiety is insufficient. Therefore, it is necessary to
raise teachers’ awareness since anxiety is an important factor which affects
students’ learning. Good acknowledgement of the existence of student’s
anxiety in learning English will absolutely influence the teacher in treating
the students properly.
As for the students, they need to get involved to reduce anxiety in
classroom. Students should respect each other in order to create a friendly
environment. They should help a lower level students when have a
difficulty instead of ridiculed them. This would make them feel
comfortable with each other. In addition, anxious students should realize
that mistakes are a natural part of language learning, therefore, it should
not discourage them in learning English.
Finally, due to the limitations of this study, further investigation is
necessary to explore the students’ anxiety in learning English. Future
similar studies with a larger population or different group of students will
be useful to give a better understanding of the issue of foreign language
anxiety. In addition, this study indicated that classroom activities or
methods are also important component in making students feel anxious or
not. This issue, however, is not specifically addressed in this present study.
Therefore, further investigations about certain approaches or methods that
can help reduce anxiety in learning English are needed.
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Appendix 1
Transkrip interview siswa
Penulis : Bagaimana perasaan kamu saat belajar bahasa Inggris?

Partisipan 1 : Perasaannya ya, sebenarnya kalau tidak tahu arti kadang-kadang
cemas, tapi misalnya kalau udah ngerti gitu rasanya santai.
Penulis : Hal apa saja yang mengganggu kamu di kelas bahasa Inggris?
Partisipan 1 : Kadang-kadang sih dari faktor gurunya juga, kadang-kadang
kalau jelasin gak enak gitu, kurang paham. Jadinya tuh merasa
gelisah, gak enak rasanya. Nah kadang-kadang disuruh maju
kedepan, hehe bingung ngomongnya. Maksudnya cara
pengucapannya gimana gitu. Selain itu gurunya kadang
jelasinya pakai bahasa Inggris, kurang ngerti, kurang paham.
Penulis : Memang apa reaksi orang-orang sekitar kalau kamu salah?
Partisipan 1 : Biasanya tuh kalau reaksi teman itu suka menertawakan, jadi
tuh bikin gak percaya diri, udah gitu kadang-kadang disorak-
sorakin juga, bikin malu jadinya. Kalau gurunya ya kadang-
kadang gitu, senyum-senyum kaya gak enak hati gitu.
Penulis : Apa menurut kamu bahasa Inggris itu pelajaran yang sulit?
Partisipan 1 : Sebenernya sih enggak, mudah dipahami sebenarnya, ya lebih
susahan matematika. Bahasa Inggris kadang-kadang ya itu dari
faktor guru, kurang jelasinnya, kurang jelas. Terus kosa
katanya, kadang-kadang lupa, gak inget, kadang-kadang juga
gak tau.
Penulis : Menurut kamu sendiri, kenapa kamu begitu cemas saat belajar
bahasa inggris?
Partisipan 1 : Ya itu , apa namanya waktu ditanya saya kurang mengerti jadi
saya merasa cemas, terus jika ada ulangan dan belum
dipersiapkan (belajar) cemas juga, mendadak gitu. Kadang-
kadang guru masuk, tiba-tiba ulangan, paling disuruh baca lima
39
40
menit, sepuluh menit belajar kan deg-deg-an tuh. Kalau lagi

panik jadinya malah susah belajar. Ya kalau ditanya takut salah
aja pokoknya, takut salah aja artinya gitu. Abisnya kalau salah
ya gitu, biasa temen-temen tuh ngetawain, gak percaya diri
jadinya.
Penulis : Apakah guru kamu mempengaruhi perasaan kamu saat belajar?
Partisipan 1 : Hmm merasanya sih baik. Soalnya dijelasin, kadang-kadang
ditanya satu-satu sambil dijelasin. Tapi iya sih mempengaruhi
juga, ya baiknya sih kaya gitu guru dikasih pertanyaan tapi
dibantuin gitu loh. Kadang ada guru yang cuma kasih
pertanyaan terus tapi gak dibantuin, sengaja gitu dikasih
pertanyaan bisa atau enggak. Kadang juga gurunya marah gitu
kan jadi gak enak.
Penulis : Apa kamu punya ide bagaimana supaya pembelajaran lebih
rileks?
Partisipan 1 : Hmm seharunya sih belajar berkelompok aja gitu. Jadi misalnya
ada yang gak ngerti ya jadi muridnya yang tanya ke gurunya
kita bertanya gitu. Jangan gurunya yang bertanya ke murid
kadang takut salah. Jadi kalau belajar bersama enak jadi sama
teman-teman diskusi jadi tau. Semuanya jadi pada paham satu
kelompok gitu. Saling sharing. Terus temen-temen seharusnya
saling menghargai, biasa saja kalau ada yang salah. Belum tentu
juga kan dia bisa. Kalaupun tertawa jangan berlebihan, jangan
terbahak-bahak
Penulis : Coba gambarkan perasaan kamu saat belajar bahasa Inggris?

Partisipan 2 : Lumayan nyaman tapi ada gelisah sedikit
Penulis : Hal apa saja yang paling mengganggu kamu di kelas bahasa
Inggris?
Partisipan 2 : Diajak ngobrol sama gurunya, kadang-kadang ehh kalau mau
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nanya itu gak dijawab. Terus gurunya kalau misalnya gak jelas,
kita mau tanya kadang-kadang dicuekin, bikin resah malah.
Waktu itu nanya, “bu ini maksudnya gimana?” “itu tanya aja ke
teman” katanya. Jadi gurunya itu gak mau ngasih tau. Nah nanti
takutnya pas ulangan ketinggalan gitu gak bisa jawablah. Hmm
kalau maju ke depan udah ada persiapannya enggak cemas
kecuali kalau nggak ada persiapannya, cemas. Kalau udah ada
persiapannya sih ya sanggup - sanggup aja, pede-pede aja.
Kalau misalnya udah tau artinya, apa yang dimaksudnya ya
udah jelasin aja gitu
Penulis : Menurut kamu sendiri, mengapa kamu begitu cemas saat belajar
bahasa inggris?
Partisipan 2 : Ya rasanya ya gitu, resah gara-gara kita mau tanya terus
gurunya bilang, jawab “saya kan udah jelasin, tanya aja ke
temen kamu.” Kalau gitu kan kurang jelas juga, pengennya
tanya ke guru biar lebih jelas. Terus misalnya juga kadang,
kalau misalnya kita nggak ngerti gitu apa yang udah dijelasin
guru. Hmm kadang juga itu, jelasinnya pakai bahasa inggris.
Terus nanya-nanya pakai bahasa inggris. Padahal belum
mengerti, jadinya cemas. Harusnya sih jelasinya itu campur,
bahasa inggris sama bahasa Indonesia-nya. Jangan mentang-
mentang bahasa inggris, bahasa inggris mulu. Padahal belum
mengerti.
Penulis : Menurut kamu apakah bahasa inggris itu pelajaran yang sulit?
Partisipan 2 : Ya enggak juga. Kalau tau artinya itu bikin kita mudah untuk
belajar dan mengerjakan soal-soal ulangan, ujian.
Penulis : Menurut kamu bagaimana reaksi orang sekitar jika kamu salah?
Partisipan 2 : Ya paling diliatin sama diketawain sama temen-temen, kadang-
kadang guru juga sih. Ya guru ngasih tau yang bener.
Penulis : Apakah guru kamu mempengaruhi perasaan kamu saat belajar?
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Partisipan 2 : Ya berperan lah, dari sikap dia ngomong, berbicara. Ya

berbicaranya itu gak jelas kadang-kadang. Kita udah dengerin,
malah dibilang enggak dengerin. Padahal memang belum jelas.
Penulis : Menurut kamu bagaimana agar pembelajaran berjalan lebih
nyaman?
Partisipan 2 : Seharusnya gurunya itu bisa mengerti, jelasin yang baik. Terus
misalnya kita tanya tuh harus dijelasin yang baik. Ya misalnya
kita tanya ke guru, terus gurunya jawab “kan tadi udah
dijelasin” tanya ke temen lagi, jadinya tuh membalik
pertanyaan. Terus baiknya itu pakai dua bahasa. Ya mentang-
mentang bahasa inggris, bahasa inggris mulu ngomongnya,
harus ada artinya lah, bahasa Indonesia tuh, biar paham lah.
Jangan bahasa Inggris mulu, jadinya kita kurang paham gitu
dengernya. Biar lebih nyaman dan percaya diri lah, kalau maju
kedepan bareng-bareng, misalnya satu kelompok empat orang,
maju. Terus kaya baca, ngerjain tugas kelompok gitu maju.
Jangan ngetawain orang kalau salah, apa ngetawain penderitaan
orang gitu. Ketawanya jangan berlebihan, apa bikin malu yang
di depan ketika berbicara di depan kelas.
Penulis : Coba gambarkan perasaan kamu pada saat belajar di kelas?

Partisipan 3 : Hmm menurut saya sih menyenangkan, cuma tuh kadang-
kadang gak jelas gitu. Itu yang bikin gak enak. Gak jelasnya
kalau misalnya emm ada penjelasan dipapan tulis terus kalau
misalnya disuruh baca tuh gak bisa, susah. Iya kadang-kadang
ngerasa gak enak, tapi masih susahan matematika sama fisika.
Penulis : Hal apa saja yang paling membuat kamu terganggu saat belajar
bahasa Inggris?
43
Partisipan 3 : Hmm kalau belajar bahasa inggris tuh yang sangat mengganggu
tuh kalau misalnya disuruh maju ke depan terus enggak bisa
bacanya, terus kalau misalnya diajarin di papan tulis kadang-
kadang tuh enggak jelas. Terus kalau pas dapet giliran maju gitu
takut. Pengennya sih misalnya kalau belajar bahasa inggris yang
mudah dipelajari sama semua temen-temen juga. Itu belajarnya
kurang puas soalnya gak ngerti. Jadi harusnya tuh waktunya
diluangin lagi biar belajarnya dapat dimengerti.
Penulis : Menurut kamu bagaimana reaksi orang sekitar kalau kamu
salah?
Partisipan 3 : Pada ketawa. Misalnya ada yang salah ngucapin nya nanti yang
lain pada ketawa. Emm itu padahal kalau mereka disuruh maju
kedepan belum tentu mau, giliran kita maju diketawain.
Penulis : Apakah guru mempengaruhi perasaan kamu?
Partisipan 3 : Kalau guru si enak aja, misalnya saya salah malah dibawa santai
bercanda.
nyaman?
Partisipan 3 : Emm pengennya sih kalau belajar bahasa Inggris yang mudah
dipelajari sama teman-teman juga. Sama itu waktunya sedikit,
jadi belajarnya itu kurang puas enggak ngerti. Sama waktunya
itu harus diluangin lagi supaya belajarnya puas juga, bisa ngerti
Penulis : Coba gambarkan perasaan kamu pada saat belajar di kelas?

Partisipan 4 : Kalau saya, kadang-kadang menjengkelkan hmm karena saya
gak bisa bahasa inggris. Abis bahasa inggris itu susah
Penulis : Hal apa saja yang paling membuat kamu terganggu saat belajar
bahasa Inggris?
Partisipan 4 : Yang ganggu itu kalau ditanya sama guru, tiba-tiba ditanya terus
aduh gak tau mau jawab apa. Terus kalau guru jelasin gak jelas
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saya gak ngerti itu ganggu juga. Soalnya pas belajar sering gak
ngertinya, kecepetan jelasinnya. Sama saya tuh kalau misalnya
maju kedepan maju itu malu.
Penulis : Menurut kamu bagaimana reaksi orang sekitar kalau kamu
salah?
Partisipan 4 : Pada ketawa, itu gak enak banget. Orang lagi belajar malah
diketawain
Penulis : Apakah guru mempengaruhi perasaan kamu?
Partisipan 4 : Ya gurunya enggak galak malah dikasih tau yang bener. Enggak
tegang, tapi ya kadang-kadang takut, kalau salah takut diomelin.
nyaman?
Partisipan 4 : Ya dibawa bercanda, kalau ada yang salah enggak apa-apa,
jangan ditertawakan.
Penulis : Bagaimana perasaaan kamu pada saat belajar bahasa Inggris?

Partisipan 5 : Apa ya? Hmm rasanya itu tegang, panik gitu, iya takut. Takut
gak lancar gitu misalnya, takut salah. Takutnya gimana ya, ntar
takut gak bisa gitu. Mau tanya juga itu, gak berani. Apa ya,
malu gitu. Ya gak tau, dari dalam diri sendiri gitu takut gimana
gitu. Takut itu diledekin.
Penulis : Hal apa saja yang paling mengganggu kamu di kelas bahasa
Inggris?
Partisipan 5 : Waktu disuruh maju kedepan itu, iya biasanya itu sampai keluar
keringat di seluruh tubuh. Nah itu bikin tambah malu lagi,
tambah panik. Takut salah kalau maju ke depan, apalagi bahasa
Inggris saya juga kurang lancar. Iya itu, masalahnya di
vocabulary, arti-artinya banyak yang tidak tahu. Jadi takut ntar
nilainya jelek. Karena kalau gurunya jelasinnya tidak jelas saya
takut nilainya jelek.
45
Penulis : Menurut kamu sendiri mengapa kau begitu cemas saat belajar
bahasa Inggris?
Partisipan 5 : Ya itu, gimana ya hmm takut salah aja, takut salah aja gitu udah.
Takutnya itu mungkin diketawain teman-teman udah itu aja.
Penulis : Memang bagaimana reaksi orang sekitar apabila kamu salah?
Partisipan 5 : Disorakin gitu. Nah itu yang bikin takut, bikin cemas lagi.
Jantung berdebar takut diketawain.
Penulis : Apakah bahasa Inggris termasuk mata pelajaran yang sulit?
Partisipan 5 : Iya sulit. Ya itu arti-artinya itu, masalah di kosakata nya. Kalau
aturan-aturannya sih tidak terlalu.
Penulis : Apakah guru mempengaruhi perasaan kamu saat belajar?
Partisipan 5 : Iya mempengaruhi, misalnya lagi ngomong terus guru ngeliatin
gitu, itukan bikin cemas. Takut salah. Kalau salah gak enak,
diliat sama teman.
nyaman?
Partisipan 5 : Cara belajarnya ya gurunya lebih berkomunikasi lagi sama
siswanya, lebih aktif, lebih asik lagi gurunya gitu. Ya ngasih
taunya yang jelas. Tapi seharusnya kan itu hmm apa ya.. pelan-
pelan. Biasanya kan jelasinnya cepat kan bingung, harusnya
pelan-pelan. Suka kecepetan jadi materinya belum mengerti tapi
sudah lanjut.
Penulis : Bagaimana perasaan kamu saat belajar bahasa Inggris?

Partisipan 6 : Hmm kalau belajar bahasa inggris itu pas belajar itu biasa.
Misalnya guru nerangin itu tidak apa-apa. Kecuali kalau disuruh
maju gitu, saya itu agak-agak takut gitu rasanya. Takut, tegang
gitu. Takutnya kalau salah nanti diketawain sama teman. Ya
karena belum bisa gitu. Belum bisa jadinya kalau misalnya pas
belajar diterangin guru belum jelas gitu, terus disuruh maju nah
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itu kan belum bisa jadinya bingung, apa gitu, kalau misalnya
asal jawab nanti diketawain. Takut salah nulisnya, takut salah
baca, pengucapannya.
Penulis : Menurut kamu sendiri, mengapa kamu begitu cemas saat belajar
bahasa inggris?
Partisipan 6 : Karena kurang belajar. Kurang belajar jadinya guru udah jelasin
juga gak nyambung, nah itu yang bikin blank. Ya cemas itu
karena itu takut kalau salah diketawain, ya itu.
Penulis : Memang bagaimana reaksi orang sekitar apabila kamu salah?
Partisipan 6 : Kalau guru suruh diperbaiki, kalau murid-muridnya pada
ketawa gitu.
Partisipan 6 : Lumayan sulit. Sulitnya ya, dalam apanya tuh, kalimatnya itu
kadang-kadang sering tertukar. Kosakatanya juga. Kalau bahasa
Inggris itu kan berbeda, ada apa namanya, dalam menyusun
kalimatnya itu ada rumus-rumusnya kadang-kadang terjebak.
Kosakata belum semua tahu. Kurang apa namanya…hmm
kurang menguasai jadinya masih kalah sama yang lain. Ada
yang lebih pintar, ada yang sudah lancar gitu. Nah itu bikin
takut juga. Yang lain sudah menguasai gitu, sudah pintar nah
diri sendiri masih begitu, masih kurang, bikin takut.
Penulis : Apakah guru mempengaruhi perasaan kamu saat belajar?
Partisipan 6 : Ya mempengaruhi. Ya misalnya kalau disuruh maju itukan
langsung, apa namanya reaksinya langsung takut cemas gitu
kalau salah. Sampai berkeringat, nulis pakai spidol saja gemetar.
Mau baca juga, jadinya itu udah tegang duluan, jadi salah
malahan. Ya terus jelasinnya kecepetan, kitanya sendiri juga
tidak memperhatikan. Jadinya yang bikin gak ngerti disitu.
Penulis : Menurut kamu bagaimana agar pembelajaran bisa berjalan lebih
nyaman?
47
Partisipan 6 : Gurunya ya jelasinnya detail gitu, jadinya semuanya dirinci jadi

murid kan kalau misalnya murid yang benar-benar tidak tahu
gitu kan bisa mempelajari itu. Misalnya ini dapetnya dari mana,
kata-kata ini. Jadinya harus detail gitu, jangan cepat-cepat. Nah
kalau baca itu lebih baik kita di tempat kita sendiri. Jadi
bacanya duduk supaya tidak grogi, jadi bacanya bisa lancar gitu
enggak grogi. Kalau udah maju kan lain perasaannya, kita kalau
didepan diliatin semua orang. Teman-teman juga harus stop
menertawakan, kalau enggak ya mental kita jatuh. Seharusnya
yang lain itu kalau misalnya kita baca salah, nulis salah itu
jangan diketawain, yang mentertawakan itu juga belum tentu
bisa padahal. Malah bisa lebih buruk, bisa jadi.
Penulis : Bagaimana perasaan kamu saat belajar bahasa inggris di kelas?

Partisipan 7 : Malu, kan susah bahasa inggrisnya. Sebenarnya gak juga sih,
pas SD enggak pas disini susah. Malu ngomong bahasa
inggrisnya doang.
Penulis : Hal apa saja yang paling mengganggu kamu saat belajar di
kelas?
Partisipan 7 : Yang ganggu itu maju kedepan, soalnya kalau disuruh baca
disuruh ngartiin enggak tau. Terus bikin males kalau salah
ngomong diketawain.
Penulis : Menurut kamu bagaimana reaksi teman-teman dan guru apabila
kamu salah saat berbicara?
Partisipan 7 : Iya, ketawa. Kalau dulu pas di SD mah enggak pada ketawa
kalau ada yang salah. Hmm kalau guru biasanya disuruh ulangin
lagi.
Penulis : Apakah guru mempengaruhi perasaan kamu pada saat belajar?
Partisipan 7 : Hmm lebih ke yang enak, tapi ya ada yang enggak enak ya pas
disuruh praktekin gitu misalnya.
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rileks?
Partisipan 7 : Ya pokoknya pelan-pelan ngajarinnya. Diperhatikan semua
siswanya udah pada ngerti atau belum. Terus jangan tiba-tiba
suruh praktekin. Temen-temen juga harus santai lah gak boleh
ketawain yang salah.
Penulis : Bagaimana perasaan kamu pada saat belajar bahasa Inggris?

Partisipan 8 : Rasanya sih itu agak berdebar-debar, gugup, takut aja gitu.
Penulis : Hal apa saja yang paling mengganggu kamu pada saat belajar
bahasa Inggris di kelas?
Partisipan 8 : Saat dipanggil terus sama itu liat nilai. Ketika dipanggil dan
dinilai, seperti dites. Terus disuruh ngomong gitu bahasa
Inggris, kalau ditanya. Saat guru menjelaskan takut tidak
mengerti, berisik juga sih.
Penulis : Menurut kamu sendiri mengapa kamu begitu cemas pada saat
belajar bahasa Inggris?
Partisipan 8 : Karena tidak mengerti. Hmm, dari SD sih. Ya sudah dari SD
susah. Gemetar terus jantungnya berdebar-debar gitu.
Penulis : Menurut kamu bagaimana reaksi orang-orang sekitar, teman-
teman kamu ketika kamu salah?
Partisipan 8 : Pada menertawakan biasanya, itu yang bikin cemas.
Penulis : Apakah guru mempengaruhi perasaan kamu saat belajar di
kelas?
Partisipan 8 : Guru itu membuat gugup kayaknya. Seperti bertanya-tanya,
disuruh maju. Lalu pada saat memberikan hasil ulangan, takut
jelek nilainya.
nyaman?
Partisipan 8 : Gurunya mengajarnya supaya lambat saja, jangan cepat-cepat.
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Terus sama teman-teman tidak boleh menertawai jika ada yang

salah.
Penulis : Bagaimana perasaan kamu saat belajar bahasa inggris di kelas?

Partisipan 9 : Enggak suka, soalnya susah. Susah bicaranya, susah bahasa
inggrisnya
Penulis : Hal apa saja yang paling mengganggu kamu saat belajar di
kelas?
Partisipan 9 : Berisik, banyak yang bercanda, sama pelajarannya, kadang-
kadang susah kadang-kadang gampang. Udah dijelasin tapi
belum ngerti. Terus mengganggu itu kalau maju kedepan susah
takut, bingung gak tau mau ngomong apa. Kalau gampang gak
takut.
Penulis : Menurut kamu bagaimana reaksi teman-teman dan guru apabila
kamu salah saat berbicara?
Partisipan 9 : Takut, paling diketawain. Terus kalau guru disuruh ngulang
juga, jadinya bisa ngikutin.
Penulis : Apakah guru mempengaruhi perasaan kamu pada saat belajar?
Partisipan 9 : Kalau saya biasa gak terlalu takut sih. Misalnya pas salah gak
apa-apa, gak diomelin.
rileks?
Partisipan 9 : Emm penjelasannya yang mudah dipahami gitu misalnya. Terus
jangan sering-sering praktek di depan. Atau berkelompok gitu
kan gak terlalu gugup.
Penulis : Coba gambarkan bagaimana perasaan kamu pada saat belajar

bahasa inggris?
Partisipan 10 : Bagaimana ya, hmm gugup sih gugup karena takut kalau ada
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tugas mendadak atau apa gitu, terus kalau ditanya pakai bahasa
Inggris juga gugup takut karena tidak bisa.
di kelas?
Partisipan 10 : Gurunya, kalau gurunya hmm membosankan gitu main
langsung kasih tugas begitu saja terus kalau menjelaskannya
kurang dapat dimengerti oleh kitanya disitunya yang bikin kita
enggak nyaman. Kalau tidak jelas, cemas lah. Grogi gimana ya,
takut lah maju kedepan. Gugup banget takut enggak bisa takut
ditertawakan sama teman-teman yang lain terus takut nilainya
jelek atau takut ada komentar yang tidak enak.
Penulis : Menurut kamu bagaimana reaksi orang-orang sekitar kamu
ketika kamu salah?
Partisipan 10 : Diketawain, langsung diketawain kadang sampai ha-ha-ha
keras gitu, kita jadi ikut ketawa tapi bikin nge-blank lupa, grogi
Partisipan 10 : Enggak bisa bahasa Inggris, karena merasa teman-teman itu
lebih pintar dari pada kita. Terus kita juga belum terlalu bisa
bahasa Indonesia dijadikan bahasa Inggris, masih kosakatanya
masih belum banyak.
Partisipan 10 : Sulit lah, sulit banget. Sulitnya itu ya, cara bicaranya sih masih
bisa diikuti tapi menghafal seperti bikin kalimat kaya berbicara
seperti biasa dalam bahasa inggris itu yang masih susah.
Penulis : Menurut kamu apakah guru mempengaruhi perasaan kamu saat
belajar di kelas?
Partisipan 10 : Iya kalau pembawaan gurunya gitu, tampangnya misalnya lagi
bad-mood gitu kitanya juga males kan, kalau gurunya baik,
kalem gitu kitanya juga responnya baik juga.
51

nyaman?
Partisipan 10 : Pertama sih dari gurunya, ya kalau gurunya keliataannya baik,
asik gitu baru kita responnya juga asik. Ya dibawa bercanda
gitu, jangan terlalu tegang, jangan terlalu serius, yang penting
kita mengerti, yang dijelasin itu jelas. Terus kalau mengartikan
itu perlu catatan juga, enggak bisa cuma ngomong saja
langsung bahasa Inggris harus perlu diartikan terus ditulis
kalau ada kata-kata sulit. Ya pelan-pelan gitu bertahap, enggak
langsung ngomong bahasa Inggris kitanya kan bingung, terus
jadinya udah males kedepan-depannya lagi.
Penulis : Coba gambarkan bagaimana perasaan kamu pada saat belajar

bahasa inggris?
Partisipan 11 : Sebenarnya itu tidak terlalu cemas, cuma karena dari diri
kitanya terus kadang gurunya juga kan kurang jelas bikin kita
bad-mood gitu. Kadang yang membuat kesal itu gurunya selalu
cepat jelasinnya jadi kita kadang ketinggalan, jadinya kan
banyak yang ketinggalan itu saja.
di kelas?
Partisipan 11 : Hmm gurunya kadang kalau misalnya lagi ulangan gurunya
jelasinnya itu salah jelasinnya. Besoknya ulangannya tentang
materi ini, cuman jelasinnya bukan yang ini gitu. Jadi kitanya
kan pada bingung. Kalau maju kedepan pertama itu karena
takut salah bicara, terus kedua itu takut sama temen-temen
diketawain, jadi disitu tambah gemetaran, takut, bingung
jadinya. Keluar keringat dingin gitu kadang kakinya gemetar,
jantungnya berdebar-debar.
52

Partisipan 11 : Takut salah, udah gitu nanti diketawain sama teman-teman nah
tambah gugup lagi. Takut ditanya, takut salah. Kadang kan
dalam bahasa Inggris itu ada yang enggak ngerti.
Penulis : Menurut kamu apakah guru mempengaruhi perasaan kamu saat
belajar di kelas?
Partisipan 11 : Apa ya hmm jelasinnya enggak jelas, terlalu cepat, terus
gurunya juga kadang kalau misalkan dia juga lagi kebawa
marah-marah, ngajarin kitanyakan juga kaya keras gitu.
Jadinya kan bikin takut juga. Misalkan dialog gitukan pakai
bahasa Inggris, dia nanya apa, enggak ngerti, aduh ini
jawabnya kaya gimana ya kaya gitu, jadi bikin cemas.
nyaman?
Partisipan 11 : Enak sih kalau misalkan dalam kelompok gitukan. Dalam satu
kelompok gitu jadi rasa cemas kita enggak terlalu besar. Terus
gurunya juga dibawanya santai aja, enggak terlalu tegang gitu,
dibawa bercanda lah, jadi kita enak gitu kita enggak tegang
gitu bawaannya enak. Terus jangan cepat-cepat kalau
mengajarnya, pelan-pelan.
Appendix 2
Catatan Lapangan Observasi
Seting : Kelas 8.8
Observer : Anggiyana Musthachim
Peran : Mengamati subjek penelitian (siswa kelas 8.8 SMPN 9 Tangerang

Selatan)
Tanggal : 7 Mei 2014
Durasi : 80 menit
07:00 – 07:05 : Guru masuk membuka kelas dan kemudian menyapa siswa.
07:05 – 07:10 : Guru meminta siswa untuk berkumpul bersama kelompok dan
mempersiapkan teks narrative yang sudah ditugaskan seminggu
sebelumnya dan membagikan salinannya ke kelompok lain.
07:10 – 07:15 : Setelah siswa sudah berkumpul dengan kelompoknya, guru

menjelaskan kegiatan belajar yang akan dilakukan. Tiap kelompok
akan membacakan/menceritakan teks narrative milik mereka dan
pada saat yang bersamaan kelompok lain menyimak. “simak baik-
baik lalu tulis nama-nama tokoh yang ada dalam cerita tersebut dan
juga akhir ceritanya bagian resolution ” kata guru.
07:15 – 07:23 : Guru mempersilahkan kelompok yang ingin membaca terlebih

dahulu. Beberapa siswa terlihat saling menunjuk satu sama lain
untuk membacakan teks. Ada yang coba menghindar dengan
memalingkan pandangan, menyibukkan diri seperti berbicara
dengan teman, ada juga yang izin ke kamar kecil. Selang beberapa
menit tidak ada kelompok yang ingin membaca. Guru
mengingatkan jika semua anggota kelompok harus mendapat
kesempatan membaca, kemudian menunjuk salah satu kelompok.
07:23 – 07.33 : Kelompok yang ditunjuk diam sesaat. Mereka terlihat tidak yakin.
“ayo mulai, come on” seru sang guru meyakinkan mereka. Lalu,
satu persatu siswa mulai membaca narrative text berjudul “The
Legend of Surabaya” guru ikut menyimak sambil mengoreksi
apabila ada kesalahan dalam pengucapan kata. Kelas sempat ramai
ketika salah seorang siswa salah mengucapkan sebuah kata,
mereka tertawa. Guru menenangkan sambil berkata “ssst, it’s okay
53
54
tidak apa-apa” Kemudian salah seorang siswa membaca dengan

suara yang pelan. Sementara beberapa siswa dari kelompok lain
mulai terlihat tidak fokus, mulai sedikit ribut. Kemudian guru
memintanya untuk membaca lebih keras. Siswa tersebut terlihat
gugup, tangannya gemetar.
07:33 – 08.00 : Kelompok lain membaca narrative text dengan arahan guru, dan
seterusnya. Selama aktivitas membaca, tidak sedikit siswa yang
terlihat gugup, gelisah bahkan menolak saat sampai pada
gilirannya, mereka berkata “aduh, jangan saya..” atau “saya gak
bisa..”. Suara mereka mengecil, ada juga yang membaca sangat
cepat sehingga tidak jelas apa yang dikatakan. Sebagian kecil siswa
sering kali salah dalam pengucapan bahkan setelah dikoreksi oleh
guru. Meski terlihat kesulitan, dengan terbata-bata beberapa siswa
berusaha dengan sangat keras, diantara mereka ada yang bertanya
apakah kata yang diucapkan benar atau tidak “seperti itu, benar
pak?” katanya. Sementara beberapa siswa yang menyimak,
diantara mereka ada yang serius menyimak dengan baik ada juga
yang tidak (berbicara dengan temannya, melamun, menggambar
dll.)
08:00 – 08:10 : Setelah semua selesai, siswa dari masing-masing kelompok

dipersilahkan untuk bertanya kepada kelompok lain apabila ada
cerita yang terlewat atau tidak jelas.
08:10 – 08:15 : Guru meminta siswa untuk mengumpulkan hasil tulisan dari
kegiatan menyimak yang mereka lakukan.
08:15 – 08.20 : Guru menutup kegiatan belajar hari itu

55
Catatan Lapangan Observasi
Seting : Kelas 8.8
Observer : Anggiyana Musthachim
Peran : Mengamati subjek penelitian (siswa kelas 8.8 SMPN 9 Tangerang

Selatan)
Tanggal : 14 Mei 2014
Durasi : 80 menit
07:00 – 07:05 : Guru masuk membuka kelas kemudian menyapa siswa.
07:05 – 07:10 : Guru memulai kegiatan belajar dengan menulis “telephone calls”
kemudian menjelaskan bahwa hari ini siswa akan belajar
bagaimana melakukan panggilan telepon dan menerima panggilan
telepon dalam bahasa inggris.
07:10 – 07:20 : Guru meminta siswa untuk membuka buku teks “Real Time” hal.
96. Kemudian guru mengenalkan macam-macam ungkapan yang
biasa digunakan dalam perakapan telepon. Guru membacakan
ungkapan yang terdapat di buku teks tesebut dan meminta siswa
untuk mengulangi sambil menterjemahkan ungkapan-ungkapan
tersebut ke dalam bahasa indonesia. “hello, this is smith residence,
who is this? This is Amy, can I talk to jack? Wait a minute!”dan
seterusnya. Pertama-tama hanya sebagian siswa yang mengikuti
ujaran yang diucapkan, lalu guru mengajak siswa yang lain untuk
ikut belatih mengucapkan ujaran-ujaran tersebut. Beberapa siswa
masih ada yang tidak mengikuti, terutama siswa yang duduk di
barisan belakang, ada siswa yang berpura-pura mengikuti dengan
hanya menggerakkan mulut, dan ada juga yang mengikuti sambil
senyum-senyum atau tertawa kecil.
56
07:20 – 07:28 : Guru meminta salah satu siswa untuk mempraktikkan salah satu
contoh percakapan telepon yang ada di buku teks. beberapa detik
berselang tidak ada yang bersedia, lalu guru menunjuk salah satu
siswa. Siswa tersebut bersedia dan mempraktikkan bersama guru.
07:28 – 07:35 : Sebagian besar siswa mempraktikkan percakapan tersebut dengan

teman sebangku. Guru mengawasi dan menginstruksikan kepada
siswa yang belum berbicara agar mempraktikkan percakapan
tersebut.
07:35 – 07.43 : Guru kembali mengenalkan contoh lain yang didalamnya terdapat
contoh ungkapan apabila orang yang dicari sedang tidak berada
ditempat, ”I am afraid he is out at the moment. Do you want to
leave a message?” Kemudian mencontohkan percakapan tersebut
bersama salah seorang siswa.
07:43 – 08:00 : Siswa membuat contoh percakapan telepon serupa dengan topik
mengajak pergi atau menyampaikan suatu kabar, informasi.
Beberapa siswa bertanya pada guru. Ada juga siswa yang bertanya
pada temannya. Terlihat semua siswa berusaha menyelesaikan
tugas mereka.
08:00 – 08:15 : Satu persatu siswa yang sudah selesai membuat percakapan
mempraktikkannya di hadapan guru. Siswa terlihat lebih antusias
dibanding pertemuan sebelumnya (pada observasi sebelumnya).
Satu persatu siswa bersama teman sebangku mereka berbaris,
mempraktikkan percakapan yang sudah mereka buat di hadapan
guru mereka. Guru menyimak sambil mengoreksi ucapan siswa.
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STUDENTS’ ANXIETY IN LEARNING ENGLISH

(A Case Study at the 8th Grade of SMPN 9 South Tangerang)

THE DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH EDUCATION

THE DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH EDUCATION

Anggiyana Musthachim (NIM: 109014000115). Students’ Anxiety in

Keywords: Students’ Anxiety, English

Anggiyana Musthachim (NIM: 109014000115). Kecemasan Siswa dalam

Keywords: Kecemasan Siswa, Pembelajaran bahasa Inggris

2. Drs. Syauki, M.Pd. as the chairman of the Department of English

3. Zaharil Anasy, M.Hum as the secretary of the Department of English

7. Dra. Hj Siti Nurhayati, M.Pd as the headmaster of SMPN 9 South

Hopefully, this paper can be useful to the readers, particularly to the

Jakarta, October 2014

CHAPTER I : INTRODUCTION ..................................................... 1

CHAPTER II : LITERATURE REVIEW ........................................ 4

CHAPTER VI : RESEARCH FINDINGS ....................................... 23

CHAPTER V : CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTIONS................... 34

Figure 2.1 Possible Anxiety Factors .................................................... 13

Table 3.1 List of Codes ..................................................................... 21

Table 4.1 Factors Contribute to Anxiety (Interview Result) ............... 22

Table 4.2 Factors Contribute to Anxiety (Observation Result) ........... 31

Appendix 1 Interview Transcripts ...................................................... 39

Appendix 2 Field Notes of Classroom Observations ........................... 53

Appendix 3 Surat Bimbingan Skripsi ................................................. 57

Appendix 4 Surat Izin Penelitian ....................................................... 58

Appendix 5 Surat Keterangan Penelitian .......................................... 59

A. The Background of the Study

3. To develop learners understanding about the language and the

Furthermore, According to Barlow, as cited in Passer and Smith,

From the definitions explained above, it can be concluded that

Based on the intensity, duration and situations, anxiety can be

B. Anxiety and English Language Learning

real or anticipated communication with another person or persons.” 11

context, students are prone to have a fear of negative evaluation from

2. Impact of Foreign Language Anxiety

anxiety belongs to debilitating anxiety because it can hinder language

Moreover, Oxford described that “anxiety harms learner’s through

3. Possible Factors Contributing to Foreign Language

contribute to the students’ tension and frustration in the classroom.” 24

Here is the illustration of possible factors contributing to anxiety

From teacher threatening acts; harsh correction

Inappropriate ways of teaching

beliefs about language learning

should perfect while speaking

From Students low-self esteem

stressful learning experience

C. Previous Research on Foreign Language Anxiety

B. The Setting of the Study

To determine the participants of this study, the writer used a purposive

C. Data Sources and Data Collection Techniques

Later on, fifteen participants were interviewed. From fifteen, four

The writers’ role in the observation was non-participant. He

D. Data Analysis Techniques and the Validity of Data

Factors Contribute to Anxiety codes

AF: Speaking in front of the class AF-TSP

AF: Factors from students AF-S

Conclusion drawing involves stepping back to consider

validation of the data using triangulation strategy. According

Interview Participants Answers/Factors Contribute to Anxiety

having turn to speak [AF-TSP], unclear explanation

Further, the participants also asked how teacher influenced their

And the table below is a data display compiled from classroom

2. The result of Observation