Abstract:
The current study examines the causes and effects of speaking anxiety among
English as a foreign language (EFL) learners in English presentations. The
research participants consisted of twelve in sixth-semester students majoring in
English Department at UMSU in the 2024/2025 academic year. A qualitative
approach based on Sugiyono (2017) was applied, with data collected through
observation and interviews. The findings showed that most participants
experienced speaking anxiety, characterized by nervousness, trembling, freezing,
stuttering, and sweating. This anxiety reduced their interest in learning, limited
their vocabulary, lack of preparations and lowered their confidence due to fear of
making mistakes and afraid of being judged by peers. The causes of anxiety were
divided into internal and external factors. Internal factors included lack of
confidence, inadequate preparation, and language problems such as grammar,
vocabulary, and pronunciation. External factors involved lecturers, peers, the
classroom environment, requests to speak in front of the class, unclear feedback,
and limited facilities. It is concluded that speaking anxiety has a negative impact
on students' performance in English presentations, highlighting the need to
address both internal and external factors.
