EFL Students’ Experiences of Coping with Speaking Anxiety in English Presentations at an Islamic Senior High School in Maros

Abstract

This study explores the lived experiences, underlying causes, impacts, and coping strategies of EFL students in managing speaking anxiety during English presentations, with particular attention to the integration of religious and cultural values within an Islamic educational context. A qualitative approach with a phenomenological design was employed to understand the phenomenon from the participants’ own perspectives. Data were collected through in-depth, semi-structured interviews with six students at an Islamic Senior High School in Maros, Indonesia. The study is grounded in the Transactional Model of Stress and Coping, further enriched by Islamic values such as Sabr (patience), Tawakkul (reliance on God), and Ukhuwah (brotherhood) as a distinctive framework for understanding stress management. The findings reveal that speaking anxiety is primarily triggered by fear of negative evaluation, low self-confidence, linguistic limitations, and pressure from the learning environment, with impacts spanning psychological discomfort, physical symptoms, and cognitive interference during performance. Students were found to draw on a combination of problem-focused and emotion-focused coping strategies, frequently integrating spiritual and religious practices alongside practical preparation techniques to mitigate anxiety. The study concludes that speaking anxiety is a complex emotional experience shaped by both internal and external factors, and that the learning environment together with the internalization of Islamic values plays a pivotal role in transforming anxiety into a manageable challenge. These findings suggest that educators should attend not only to students’ linguistic competence but also to fostering a supportive classroom atmosphere and incorporating value-based approaches that build resilience and confidence in public speaking.