Student Speaking Anxiety, Causal Factors, and Recommendations: A Mixed Methods Research

This study aims to determine the levels of students' speaking anxiety, identify the factors causing anxiety and find solutions to reduce it. This study is conducted due to students’ ignorance of anxiety and how to overcome it. The researcher used a mixed method to explore and explain students' problems on the speaking anxiety data. This research involved 21 students from the eight semesters of the English Education Department, PGRI Yogyakarta University. In collecting the data, the researcher used an FLCAS questionnaire by Horwitz (2019) and an interview. The questionnaire results determined student anxiety category into five categories from both low and high anxiety categories. After that, 10 students from the low anxiety and the high anxiety category were selected to be interviewed to find causes and solutions to deal with anxiety. The result of this study revealed 4 students were at very low anxiety levels, 3 students were included in the moderately low anxiety, 5 students were at moderate anxiety, 2 students were included in moderately high anxiety and, 7 students were at high anxiety levels. Furthermore, after identifying the interview result, the researcher found six factors causing students anxiety: students' poor English skills, the fear of misinterpretation, low self-esteem, fear of making mistakes then being criticized (fear of negative evaluation), lack of preparation, and excessive worry about tests.

THE IMPACT OF RELATIVE INCOME ON FARMERS' PSYCHOLOGICAL CAPITAL AND ANXIETY INHIBITION: EVIDENCE FROM CHINA

Aim of the research: To investigate the level of anxiety in adult patients with myasthenia.Materials and methods. An in-depth clinical-neurological, immunological (detection of antibodies to acetylcholine and / or muscle-specific tyrosine kinase receptors) examination, testing according to MGQoL-15 scale, and Spielberg-Khanin anxiety scale of 96 patients (56 women and 40 men) with myasthenia (71 - with generalized, 25 - with an ophthalmologic form, respectively) were done.Results. Antibodies to acetylcholine receptors were detected in 57 (80.3 %) of 71 patients with generalized form and in 13 (52 %) of 25 patients with ophthalmic myasthenia, antibodies to muscle-specific tyrosine kinase in 6 (8.5 %) of 71 patients with generalized form. In the case of an ophthalmic form, these antibodies were not detected. In 8 (11.3 %) out of 71 patients with generalized myasthenia and in 12 (48.0 %) out of 25 patients with ophthalmic form of myasthenia antibodies to acetylcholine receptors and muscle-specific tyrosine kinase were not detected.When the MGQoL-15 scale was used, the average quality of life was 10.34 ± 9.4 points (ranging from 0 to 31).In assessing of situational anxiety, a moderate level of anxiety was detected in 44 patients, high – in 24 patients, while the low level of anxiety had 28 people. Patients with an ophthalmic form of myasthenia (class I by MGFA) are significantly more likely to have a low level of anxiety (p <0.05). The moderate level of situational anxiety was significantly more frequently recorded in patients with myasthenia class III by MGFA (moderate form), and high level - in patients with myasthenia class IV by MGFA (expressed form). In patients with a low level of situational anxiety, the average duration of the disease was significantly lower (p <0.05).When comparing the quality of life in patients with myasthenia with the MGQoL-15 scale and the level of situational anxiety with the Spielberg-Khanin scale, there was a significant negative impact of increased anxiety on quality of life (r = -0.24, p = 0.01)Conclusions. The quality of life of patients with myasthenia and the level of anxiety disorders do not depend on the immunological subtype of the disease. The quality of life of patients with myasthenia is largely dependent on the degree of clinical manifestations of the disease. The increased level of situational anxiety reliably reduces the quality of life

The purpose of this study was to measure the effectiveness of hypnoteaching method reducing speaking anxiety in eleventh graders at SMA Al-Asmaniyah. The research question of this study is “How is the effectiveness of hypnoteaching method in reducing students' speaking anxiety for eleventh graders in middle school Al-Asmaniyah and the purpose of this study was "To measure the effectiveness of hypnoteaching method in reducing students' speaking anxiety ".
 Researchers used Pre-Experimental method and involved one class, as research the experimental class. In the experimental class, the researcher applied the hypnoteaching method. The population in this study were students of class X SMA Al-Asmaniyah, participant sample 62 students. The sample of this research was taken using purposive sampling technique, which only took 20 of X IPS as the experimental class. To obtain data, researcher distributed questionnaires and interviews. Questionnaires were distributed before and after treatment. Questionnaires were used to obtain data about psychological research. Researchers used a Likert Scale to measure the results of the questionnaire. The questionnaire used by the researcher was adopted from by Horwitz at al (1986). The use of hypnoteaching in this study can reduce students' speaking anxiety.
 The mean score of the questionnaire before and after treatment was different. The mean score before treatment was 94.25 and the mean score after treatment was 51.45. This shows that there is a decrease in students' speaking anxiety. This can be seen from the students' answers in the questionnaire. There are 60% students with low anxiety levels, 35% students with moderate anxiety levels, and 5% students with high anxiety levels.The results showed that there were differences in scores between the pre and post questionnaires. The pre-questionnaire score was higher than after the questionnaire. The higher the score, the higher the anxiety level and the lower the score, the lower the anxiety level. This study succeeded in reducing students' anxiety in speaking, but students' anxiety was still high.

Speaking is one of the most challenging skills in learning foreign language. Several affective factors such as shame and fear of making mistakes and being laughed by others lead students to have anxiety in uttering foreign language. The role of digital media, especially smartphone that becomes a “close friend“ of mostly students nowadays is utilized as a media to reduce students’ speaking anxiety. This study aimed to investigate the use of Speechway and U-Dictionary application in reducing students’ speaking anxiety. FLSAS was used to measure students’s speaking anxiety level. The results showed that Hafshawaty University students’ speaking anxiety level were mostly in the level of moderate anxiety. Some were in high anxiety and a few of them were in low anxiety. The use of Speechway and U-Dictionary application significantly contributed to alleviate the students’ speaking anxiety that produced 0% of high anxiety level and low anxiety category encountered a 48.94% increase. However there are still 14.89% students were still in moderate anxiety level in the end of this study. Indeed, the Speechway and U-Dictionary helped students overcome their speaking anxiety. Keywords: speechway; speaking anxiety; u-dictionary

High anxiety is the base not only for depression development but also to impulsive aggression manifestation. In the previous study we revealed the differences in neurohumoral status in animals with submissive and dominant behavioral types. Hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis hyperactivity, the increase in noradrenaline and the decrease in serotonin levels in limbicocortical regions were observed in submissive male rats (high anxiety). Due to these results, we studied the interrelation between anxiety level and aggressiveness index and its components. The research involved 138 participants: 121 young men aged 18 to 22 years and 17 male adolescents within the age range 15-16 years. They were asked to answer Buss-Durkee Hostility Inventory, Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and Eysenck Personality Inventory. The anxiety level was assessed in points. The aggressiveness index, physical, verbal and indirect aggressions were estimated in a percentage of the maximum level. No correlation between the anxiety level and the aggressiveness index was found in whole group of young men. Whole group was separated into three subgroups depending on anxiety level: with high, moderate and low anxiety levels. Strong positive correlation between anxiety level and aggression index in men with high anxiety level and negative correlation between these two parameters in men with low anxiety level were revealed. In last subgroup the correlation was statistically insignificant. In men with moderate anxiety level no correlation between anxiety level and aggression index was observed. This interrelation may be taken into account in anxiety treatment and in the prevention of impulsive aggression manifestation. In whole group of male adolescents no correlation between anxiety and aggressiveness index was found. Obtained data indicate the necessity of participants division depending on anxiety level and using the closed age groups to study the mechanisms of aggression development.

In Ukraine, the demographic crisis exacerbates the importance of the issue of reproductive health.The objective: to study the features of uterine labor activity depending on the level of anxiety of the pregnant woman for improvement the management of pregnancy and childbirth.Materials and methods. During the preparatory stage of the study, we recorded and analyzed electromyohysterograms in 69 women in labor with its physiological course. The normal electromyography indicators with physiological contractile activity of the uterus in labor were determined. At the main stage of the study, we conducted a prospective clinical examination of 124 pregnant women who were interviewed by Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and were subsequently divided into 3 groups depending on the level of reactive anxiety: I group – 38 women in labor with a low reactive anxiety level; II group – 35 women in labor with a moderate reactive anxiety level; III group – 51 women in labor with a high reactive anxiety level. Uterine electromyography was performed using a digital USB-oscilloscope «Hantek-6022BE». The level of anxiety in pregnant women was determined by questionnaire (Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory).Results. Normal labor activity was typical for 57.9% of pregnant women in the I group, 82.9% – in the II group and 60.8% of pregnant women in the III group (p<0.05). The frequency of weak labor activity was significantly different in pregnant women in the I and III groups – 36.8% and 23.5%, respectively, compared with the II group – 14.3% of cases (p < 0.05). Among pregnant women in the III group the hyperactive type of labor activity was detected in 9.8%, which is significantly higher than in the I and II groups (2.6% and 2.9%, respectively, p < 0.05). In pregnant women of the I and III groups the cases of discoordinated labor activity were detected, which was registered in 5.2% of pregnant women in the I group and in 5.9% in the III group, in pregnant women of the II group the discoordinated labor activity was not registered.Conclusions. The study revealed clear changes in uterine contractile activity depending on the level of reactive anxiety, in particular, the indicator of weakness of labor activity at a low reactive anxiety level was almost 2.6 times higher than the indicator in other groups, and hyperactive labor activity at a high anxiety was 3.4 times higher than the indicators of other groups.

Objective:The relationship of situational (reactive) and personal anxiety in the sample of respondents with post-trauma stress disorder (PTSD) has been considered in the article. The study found that a significant level of situational anxiety and an average level of personal anxiety is observed in respondents with post-trauma stress disorder.Method:The survey and testing of respondents was conducted on the basis of their voluntary and anonymous participation among the staff of public authorities and law enforcement bodies. Clinical, psychopathological and statistical research methods were used in this work. While conducting a psychopathological survey, the Mississippi scale (MS), military and civilian variants, the severity questionnaire for psychopathological symptoms (AFPS), and the scale for assessing the level of reactive and personal anxiety (Charles D. Spilberger, Yu. L. Khanin) were used to determine the qualitative and quantitative parameters. The levels of reactive and personal anxiety were determined on a scale: up to 30 points - low anxiety; from 31 to 45 points - moderate anxiety; 46 points or more - high anxiety. The statistical processing of research results included the calculation of the arithmetic mean value for the quantitative (M) and qualitative (P) indices and their errors (m and p). When comparing the data obtained in groups and subgroups, the Student’s t-test was used, while the correlation analysis of interrelationships - the Spearman correlation coefficient was used. The sample comprised respondents with signs that meet the diagnostic criteria for PTSD (ICD-10 DSM-R).Results:The manifestation of the influence of the experienced psychological trauma on the level of anxiety is: an increased heart rate; Blanchet syndrome; a nervous condition; tension of all groups of muscles; feeling a sense of guilt; a feeling of fever followed by shivers; long confusion; insomnia; migraine; uncontrollable anger. The symptoms of anxiety persist and accumulate, at the time of a stressful situation, and after its resolution, contributing to a decrease in performance, fatigue and exhaustion. In addition, the results of the study indicate that anxiety and its level plays an important role, both in clinical findings and in the pathogenesis of PTSD. At the same time, differences were found among men and women. Men with PTSD are characterized by an increase in the level of situational anxiety as the severity of the disorder increases. Women are characterized by a moderate level of situational anxiety, regardless of the severity of the disorder. For both male and female subjects, high indices of personal anxiety are more significant than situational in the development of PTSD of different severity levels.Conclusion:Anxiety and its level, plays an important role both in clinical findings and in the pathogenesis of PTSD. At the same time, differences were found among men and women. Men with PTSD are characterized by an increase in the level of situational anxiety as the severity of the disorder increases. Women are characterized by a moderate level of situational anxiety, regardless of the severity of the disorder. High indices of personal anxiety are more significant for both male and female subjects than situational one in the development of PTSD of different severity levels. The level of personal anxiety in men increased as the severity of PTSD increased. In women, the high level of anxiety increased with increasing severity of the disorder and stabilized with severe PTSD. Most women and men with PTSD are characterized by a high level of personal anxiety. Moreover, the prevalence of women with a high level of personal anxiety in comparison with men is essential with a mild severity of the disorder. With a moderate degree of the disorder, the differences in the proportion of men and women with a high level of personal anxiety are practically insignificant, and in case of a severe degree of the disorder, their proportion levels off, reaching 100%, both among men and women.

ObjectiveThis study investigates the effects of COMTval158met gene polymorphism on maternal anxiety and pain during delivery and on the analgesic and anxiety efficacy of dexmedetomidine during delivery.MethodsSixty-one pregnant women, who were hospitalized in our hospital from January to November of 2016 were recruited and randomly divided into two groups, F and D groups. The pregnant women in the F group were given labor analgesia with ropivacaine combined with fentanyl. The pregnant women in the D group were given labor analgesia with ropivacaine combined with dexmedetomidine. Before and after labor analgesia, the genotype of COMT in the blood from two groups was detected, and the situation of labor anxiety and analgesia was analyzed. Then, the relationship between labor anxiety, analgesia, and COMT polymorphism was analyzed.ResultsIn the 61 pregnant women, there were 30 women of wild homozygotes (GG) of COMT, 22 women of mutant heterozygotes (GA), and nine women of mutant homozygotes (AA), the mutation rate of allele A was 23.77%. The anxiety status score, anxiety trait score, and pain score in the AA genotype were significantly higher than those in the GG and GA genotype (p < 0.05). There was a significant difference in the efficacy of GG and AA genotypes between groups D and F for treating labor anxiety (p < 0.05), the efficacy of group D was better than that of group F in treating delivery anxiety, there was no significant difference in anxiety scores between the two groups in GA genotypes (p > 0.05); there was no significant difference in pain between group D and F in GG, GA, and AA genotypes (p > 0.05). There was no significant difference in pain and anxiety scores between the three genotypes in group D (p > 0.05), there was significant difference in pain scores among the three genotypes in group F (p < 0.05), but there was no significant difference in anxiety (p > 0.05).ConclusionsThe mutation of the COMTval158met gene leads to increased anxiety and pain during childbirth. The effect of dexmedetomidine on the anxiety of GG and AA genotypes is better than that of fentanyl, and the mutation of the COMTval158met gene has no impact on dexmedetomidine effect.

EFFECT OF MUSIC THERAPY ON ANXIETY LEVELS AMONG INFERTILE WOMEN UNDERGOING IVF PROCEDURES: A RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIAL

This study aims to investigate whether students with introverted and extroverted personalities have significantly different levels of anxiety or not. This study involved 59 students of the English Education Study Program at one of the state universities in North Sumatra. Samples were taken randomly from five classes of sixth semester students who took the Public Speaking course. Semi-structured technique was used in data collection. The data was processed by using two methods; statistical calculations for quantitative data related to the results of filling out questionnaires regarding their level of anxiety when doing public speaking which consists of 17 questions, as well as substantive analysis for qualitative data related to the results of comparison of responses from respondents. The results shows that that 31.03% of introvert students having high anxiety, followed by 68.97% students possessing moderate level of public speaking anxiety. In contrary, 13.33% of extrovert students having high anxiety, followed by 86.67% of them having moderate level of anxiety. The biggest anxiety of respondents is in context “my heart pounds when I give a speech”, where introvert students averagely in 4.03 and extrovert students in 3.03. There are numerous suggestion that students and educators can use to overcome the issues.

This study aimed to find out the description of the students’ speaking anxiety and to find out the factors that influence the students’ speaking anxiety. The researcher used a mixed method to obtain the data. For a quantitative sample, the researcher involved 80 students in the eighth grade of SMP Lematang Lestari. In collecting the data, the researcher used the PSCAS questionnaire instrument from Yaikhong and Usaha (2012) to obtain quantitative data and interviews to obtain qualitative data. From the results of the questionnaire, the anxiety level category was determined to be 3 categories, namely high (7.5%), medium (65%), and low (27.5%) anxiety level. The researcher used a homogeneous sampling approach to take samples. After that, for a qualitative sample, six students who had a high level of speaking anxiety were selected to be interviewed to find out the factors that influence students’ speaking anxiety. To analyze quantitative data, the researcher used descriptive statistics and to analyze qualitative data the researcher used thematic analysis. In conclusion, the results of the study show that the description of students’ speaking anxiety at SMP Lematang Lestari Muara Enim is mostly at a medium level of anxiety, namely 65%. Furthermore, after identifying the results of the interviews, from the things that were felt by the students, the researcher then drew 3 themes that became factors that influenced the eighth-grade students’ speaking anxiety at SMP Lematang Lestari Muara Enim, namely communication apprehension, test anxiety, and fear of negative evaluation.

Anxiety is an unclear and widespread concern, associated with feelings of uncertainty and helplessness. This state of anxiety and emotion has no specific object but can affect behavior toward parents whose children are hospitalized. Parental anxiety levels are subjective experiences of the individual and can not be directly observed but consequently will affect the anxiety level of the parent. Hospitalization of children is a state of crisis in children, when children are sick and hospitalized, one of them in the febrile seizure disease is a seizure spasm that occurs in the rise in body temperature above 38 ° C this will result in anxiety level of parents increases. Goals: To know the description of anxiety level of parent to hospitalization of child with febrile seizure during child is treated in hospital of Elisabeth Elisabeth Medan. Method: The design used in this study is descriptive to describe the level of anxiety parents to hospitalization of children with febrile seizures during child care at Hospital Santa Elisabeth Medan Year 2017. Result: based on data collection found 10 respondents where 5 (50%) of respondents who experienced anxiety level in medium category and 5 (50%) respondents have low level anxiety level. Conclusion: Based on the research and data analysis that has been done in accordance with the objectives that have been determined can be concluded that all parents who care for their children in the hospital will experience anxiety level that is 5 respondents (50%) with moderate anxiety level, while 5 others (50% Low anxiety levels and high anxiety levels were not found.

This study was aimed to investigate the level of anxiety about speaking English among students in Indonesia and examines the contributing factors. Using a survey research design, this research integrates descriptive statistical analysis with additional interviews to enrich and supporting the data collected. The participants consisted of 60 fifth semester psychology students. Data collection involved the use of a Likert scale questionnaire to categorize responses. The results revealed a spectrum of speaking anxiety levels among students: the majority (53.33%) showed high levels of anxiety, 20% reported quite high levels of anxiety, 8.33% experienced moderate levels of anxiety, and 3.33% showed very low levels of anxiety. .Analysis of these findings shows a trend of high speaking anxiety among the participants. This anxiety is influenced by various factors, including lack of self-confidence, fear of being judged, grammatical inaccuracies, and an unsupportive environment. Key Words: English, Speaking anxiety

Introduction: Nursing professionals, working in COVID pandemic situation are exposed to various infectious diseases, including those transmitted through the blood or other body fluids and/or airborne infectious agents, the Nursing professionals who are in direct contact with the patients are exposed to highest levels of risk. Nurses are particularly vulnerable to many job-related hazards, and undergo a considerable amount of emotional pressures in relation to their jobs. Aim: a study to assess the effectiveness of breath and meditation on reducing the level of stress, anxiety and depression among nursing professionals working in COVID pandemic situation. Materials and methods: Quantitative approach-one group Pretest Post test design was adopted to conduct the study on 160 nursing professionals who were working in COVID pandemic situation Bangalore was selected by using Non probability convenience sampling technique to. Nursing professionals who had moderate and severe stress, anxiety and depression and those were willing to participate were included in the study. Nursing professional?s who have history of hyper sensitivity, asthma, mental illness, nasal polyps and use of any anxiolytic; herbal drugs were excluded from the study. Results: In the current study findings reveals that among 160 nursing professionals, during pre test 49 (30%) had low level of stress, 105 (66%) had Moderate level of stress and 6 (4%) had high perceived stress and in post test 153 (96%) had low level of stress, 7 (4%) had Moderate level of stress. Among 160 Nursing professionals, during pre test 13 (8%) had low level of anxiety, 140 (88%) had Moderate level of anxiety and 7 (4%) had severe anxiety and in post test 152 (95%) had low level of anxiety and 7 (4%) had moderate level of anxiety. among 160 Nursing professionals, during pre test 6 (4%) are normal, 2 (1%) had Mild mood disturbance, 44 (27%) had borderline clinical depression and 108 (68%) had moderate level of depression whereas in post test 140 (87%) are normal and 20 (30%) are having mild mood disturbance. Conclusion: The study is concluded that breathe meditation is effective in reducing the level of stress anxiety and depression among nursing professionals working in COVID pandemic situation. It can be practiced easily, less time consuming and cost effective.