Student Anxiety in Learning English as a Foreign Language (EFL)

Abstract

Anxiety is one main factors that may affect students’ performance in learning English.  In this study, anxiety is categorized into three subscale, which are, communication apprehension, test anxiety, and negative evaluation.  This study is very significant for English teachers to know the level of students’ anxiety in learning English.  This descriptive quantitative study aims at finding out the level of student’s anxiety in learning English as a Foreign Language (EFL), and comparing the level of students’ anxiety through student’s grade and gender.  This study used FLCAS (Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale) as the instrument by Horwitz, Horwitz and Cope (1986).  The respondents were 156 students from SMA X that enroll in the first semester 2017/2018 academic year.  The result of this study shows that students experienced a moderate level of anxiety (communication apprehension M = 3.17; test anxiety M=3.07; negative evaluation M=3.50 in learning English, there is a significant difference between the levels of students’ anxiety in learning English based on gender.