STUDENTS' ANXIETY IN READING ALOUD ACTIVITY AT THE ELEVENTH GRADE OF SMK NEGERI 2 MAJENE

Abstract

ABSTRACT Researcher : Juniar Tita Sahputri Arif Reg. Number : 10256119026 Title : Students’ Anxiety in Reading Aloud Activity at the Eleventh Grade of SMK Negeri 2 Majene In this research, the researcher found problems faced by students in their reading skills. Students at SMK Negeri 2 Majene usually feel embarrassed and worried and do not want to do what they are told when asked to read a text. They fear making mistakes when reading; they read the text slowly and in a low voice. Because they are embarrassed if their friends hear their voices while reading, they feel worried when they are asked to read something by their teacher in front of the class. This research aims to determine the symptoms of anxiety experienced by students and the factors that cause students' anxiety in reading English texts aloud. The subjects of this research were eleventh-grade students at SMK Negeri 2 Majene. Participants were taken using a purposive sampling technique consisting of 9 students. Data was collected through questionnaires and interviews. This research method is descriptive qualitative to identify symptoms of student anxiety and factors that cause student anxiety in reading English based on text features and personal factors. Knowing students' anxiety can help teachers develop effective learning strategies for students to improve their understanding of reading English texts. Based on research findings and discussion, students' anxiety symptoms include feeling restless, heart palpitations, cold sweats, body shaking, and always wanting to urinate, which causes students to fear the gazes of people looking at them, feeling embarrassed and distrustful. So, students want to get away from situations that require them to read English texts aloud, and the factors that cause anxiety that students face when reading English texts aloud in class are influenced by two aspects, namely personal factors and text feature factors. Five constructs represent aspects of personal factors and text feature factors: worry about the effects of reading, fear of making mistakes, unknown culture, unknown topic, and unknown vocabulary. Based on the findings above, the researcher concluded that students' anxiety in reading English texts aloud was the reason why students' reading abilities were feeble. Keywords: Anxiety Symptoms, Reading Aloud, Reading Anxiety