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problems, the objective of the research, and significance of the research.
A. Background
One of the important things that the humans need to use to communicate with each other is language. To express their idea or feelings, the people need a language. Language is the communication tool that can help the people to communicate each other. The language can help to express our aims in a communication, without the language we will find the difficult in express our idea or feelings with other people.
Every country has a different language. One of the languages that can make the people easy to communicate each different country in the world is English.
English has been chosen as international language. In the modern era status of English as an international language is underpinned by its wide use in a range of field such as politics, education, commerce, diplomacy, science and technology, the media, information technology and popular culture.
English is one of the compulsory subject in Indonesia. There are four skills in it that are reading, writing, listening and speaking. The subject that the people really need is speaking because speaking activity is activity which is someone uses to communicate with other. English is really important in language learning, however the speaking is really difficult for the students to be fluent using English and even to master it.
Speaking is one of the central elements of communication. The ability to speak a second or foreign language well is very complex task if we try to understand the nature of what appears to be involved. When we engage in discussion with someone, on the other hand, the purpose may be to seek or express opinions, to persuade someone about something, or to clarify information. In some situations, we use speaking to give instructions or to get things done.1
Speaking is one of the skills in learning English that make the students are expected to be able to communicate well in English. Many students has different problem when they try to speak English in front of the class or when they speak with the other people. Some students has some factors experienced that make them can’t speak well they are shame, fear of making mistakes, nervousness and feeling of anxiety in speaking skills.
Most of people, mastering the art of speaking is the single most important aspect of learning a second or foreign language, success is measured in term of the ability to carry out a conversation in the language.2There are three main reasons for getting students to speak in the classroom. Firstly, speaking activities provide rehearsal opportunities-chances to practices real-life speaking in safety of the classroom. Secondly, speaking tasks in which students try to use any or all of the languages they know provide feedback for both teacher and students. Everyone can see how well they are doing: and finally, the more students have opportunities to activate the various elements of language they have stored in their brains, the more
1Jack C. Richards and Willy A. Renandya, Methodology in Language Teaching, (Cambridge University Press, 2002).
2David Nunan, Language Teaching Methodology: A Text Book for Teacher,(Macquarie University, Sydney published 1995).
automatic their use of these elements become. As a result, students gradually become autonomous language users. This means that they will be able to use words and phrases fluently without very much conscious thought.3
One of the factor that make the student’s cannot speak English well in the class is because they are shy, nervous, and the other feeling. But the other hand there are also students who can speak English well in the front of the other people. It can be concluded that every students has a different psychological condition. Sometimes the problem that the teacher faced in the class is they are difficult healing with the students and it will make the learning process not work as planned.
Students who are anxious tend to feel that they do not have the ability to overcome the problems that they are being faced, so it is not uncommon for the anxiety that arises to cause low self-confidence in students. When the students feel less confident and feel unsure of their abilities, it will cause them to experience difficulties in carrying out developmental tasks, such as; communication with other people, express their idea, knowing and accepting their own abilities. Basically, anxiety is an unpleasant condition, can be positive if someone is able to make positive adjustments to reduce anxiety and can be negative if the anxiety becomes neurotic anxiety. The anxiety experienced by the students will affect their physical, psychological, and cognitive conditions. Cognitively influencing the thinking process and causes difficulty concentrating in a lesson so it will effect on academic achievement.
Horwitz and Cope have eloquently stated: “The subjective feelings, psycho- physiological symptoms, and behavioral responses of the anxious foreign language
3Jeremy Harmer, How to Teach English, New Addition, (Personal Longman: 2007).
learners are essentially the same as for any specific anxiety. They experience apprehension, worry, and dread event. They have difficulty concentrating, becoming forgetful, sweat, and have palpitations. They exhibit avoidance behavior such as missing class and postponing homework”.4
Anxiety in English communication will weaken and affect students' adaptation to the intended environment and ultimately the achievement of their educational goals. It comes naturally when they speak in front of large groups of students or audiences. It causes worry, lack of confidence, embarrassment and nervousness to speak in front of other people. Actually, anxiety does not need to be eliminated and even should not be eliminated. So it is best to control that fear and make that fear the driving force (positive energy) needed in preparation for speaking and when it comes to speaking later.
Based on the explanation above the writer made research entitled “An Analysis of Students Speaking Anxiety in English Classroom between Male and Female at the Second Year Students of MTsN Parepare”. This will use Quantitative Study at the Second Year Students of Madrasah Tsanawiyah Negeri Parepare. The purpose of this research is to know the levels of speaking anxiety, dominant type of anxiety that occurred in English classroom and the differences level of students’
speaking anxiety between male and female.
B. Research Question
To clarify the problem that is going to be analyzed, the research question is formulated as follows:
4Horwitz, Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS), The Modern Language Journal, 2, 1986).
1. What are the levels of speaking anxiety in English classroom?
2. What is the dominant type of anxiety that occurred in English classroom?
3. Is there the differences level between student male and female in speaking anxiety?
C. Objective of the Research
Based on the statement of the research problem above, the objective of this study are as follows:
1. To know the levels of speaking anxiety in English classroom.
2. To find out the dominant type of anxiety that occurred in English classroom.
3. To find out the differences levels between student man and woman in speaking anxiety.
D. The significant of the Research
This study is expected to produce outcomes that will be useful for the development of the English teaching-learning process. There are some expected advantages of the study, as follows:
1. Theoretical benefit
The result of the research is expected will be useful for another researcher who wants to conduct a research that is related with an analysis of speaking anxiety in English classroom.
2. Practical Benefit
Related to this research, the result of this research is expected will give benefits to as follows:
a. Teacher
The result of this study will be use to know the levels of the students’
speaking anxiety in English classroom, the dominant type of speaking anxiety that students occurred in English classroom and the differences level in speaking anxiety between male and female in English classroom.
b. Students
The result of this research to make the students know more deeply about themselves and to know the levels’ anxiety during talking in the classroom.
c. Researcher
The researcher will have experience and knowledge related to levels of speaking anxiety. Moreover, the researcher can broaden to understand related to research world itself.
d. Other student teacher
The result of this study will use as the reference for future research.
