HOW DO SELF-ESTEEM, ANXIETY, AND MOTIVATION MATTER IN SPEAKING? A MIXED-METHOD STUDY

Thorfin Mahdan Firdaus, Fitri Awaliyatush Sholihah, Febti Ismiatun

Abstract


Speaking is one of the most challenging skills for English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners due to its spontaneous and anxiety-provoking nature. This study investigates the influence of self-esteem, anxiety, and motivation on students’ English-speaking performance using an explanatory sequential mixed-method design. The research was conducted with third-semester students enrolled in a Public Speaking course in an English Education program at a university in Malang, Indonesia. Quantitative data were collected through an open-ended questionnaire completed by 30 students and analyzed using multiple regression analysis, while qualitative data were obtained from semi-structured interviews with four purposively selected participants and analyzed thematically. The findings reveal that students demonstrated moderate self-esteem, high levels of speaking anxiety, and strong motivation to improve their speaking skills. Although the regression analysis showed that self-esteem, anxiety, and motivation did not significantly predict speaking performance statistically, qualitative findings indicated that anxiety emerged as the most dominant barrier, negatively affecting fluency and confidence. Self-esteem functioned as emotional resilience, enabling students to recover from mistakes, while motivation played a compensatory role that encouraged persistence despite anxiety. Overall, the study highlights that speaking performance is shaped by the dynamic interaction of affective factors within a supportive learning environment. The findings suggest that EFL speaking instruction should address emotional support and motivation alongside linguistic competence to enhance students’ oral communication skills. Keywords: EFL students, self-esteem, speaking anxiety, motivation, speaking skills, mixed-methods.

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