A study of factors contributing to speaking anxiety and anxiety reduction techniques in Thai adult EFL learners

It has become increasingly apparent that proficiency in English communication plays a role for Thai adults in a professional context. To advance effectively in professional settings, many companies provide English courses for their employees to enhance their communication skills. However, learners often develop anxiety within the classroom context due to various factors (Namsang, 2011; Akkakoson, 2016; Hutabarat, 2019) and employ different techniques to reduce this anxiety (Kondo and Yang, 2004; Fuiji, 2017). The aim of the study was to identify the factors that contribute to speaking anxiety in Thai adult EFL learners and to discover the anxiety reduction techniques used by these learners. The results showed that contributors to speaking anxiety among participants can be categorized into internal and external factors. Internally, a learner’s personality traits, such as self-inferiority, fear of making mistakes, lack of confidence, and their level of proficiency — including limited vocabulary knowledge, grammatical inaccuracies, improper pronunciation, lack of skill in scriptwriting, and difficulty in articulating thoughts concisely — were major sources of anxiety. Externally, classroom activities, such as public speaking, fill-in-the blank and discussion activities, unclear explanations from teachers, and time constraints, also contributed to learners’ anxiety. This study also showed that learners employed various techniques to reduce their anxiety, which included preparation, relaxation, positive thinking, peer thinking and task-focus. This underscores the importance for teachers and companies to provide a learning environment appropriate for adult EFL learners and to equip them with tools to create an atmosphere that is less anxiety-inducing.