English Speaking Anxiety of Thai EFL Undergraduate Students: Dominant Type, Level, and Coping Strategies

Abstract

This current study aimed to investigate the dominant type and level of speaking anxiety among Thai EFL undergraduate students. In addition, this study explored their strategies to cope with speaking anxiety. Fifty-six first-year English major students participated in the study. The research instruments included a questionnaire and a semi-structured interview. The Foreign Language Speaking Anxiety Scale (FLSAS) questionnaire developed by Ozturk and Gurbuz (2014) was used to examine the dominant type and level of speaking anxiety. After the questionnaire, six students were purposively selected to participate in a semi-structured interview to explore their coping strategies when encountering speaking anxiety. The data obtained from the questionnaire were analyzed using frequency and percentage. Content analysis was used to analyze the data obtained from the semi-structured interview. The quantitative analysis showed that low self-confidence was the dominant type of speaking anxiety. Moreover, the finding showed that most of the participants experienced speaking anxiety at moderate level. Finally, the qualitative analysis indicated that Thai EFL undergraduate students used various coping strategies to reduce speaking anxiety, namely focusing their attention on other things, asking for help, preparing in advance, positive thinking, or using helpful tools. Pedagogical implications and recommendations for future research are also suggested.

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