FOREIGN LANGUAGE ANXIETY AND LEARNER AUTONOMY IN EFL IMPROMPTU SPEAKING

Abstrak

This qualitative study explores how Indonesian EFL learners experience Foreign Language Anxiety (FLA) when doing impromptu speaking task and how they independently overcome it. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 13 high school students from SMAN 2 Kuningan and was analyzed qualitatively. The findings showed that FLA in this impromptu speaking context, students was primarily triggered by fear of peer evaluation, rather than teacher evaluation, and they were manifested as cognitive barriers and physiological symptoms. In response, learners demonstrated a spectrum of self-directed learning, ranging from proactive strategies to passive resistance, and developed natural self-regulation techniques. The findings indicate a dynamic relationship in which anxiety can either trigger or inhibit self-directed learning. The study concludes by emphasizing the need for a supportive classroom environment and explicit strategy training to foster learner autonomy as an important mechanism for coping with speaking anxiety. The study emphasizes that a supportive learning environment and explicit strategy instruction play a crucial role in developing learner autonomy for managing speaking anxiety.