LLT Journal, e-ISSN 2579-9533, p-ISSN 1410-7201, Vol. 21, No. 2, October 2018 LLT Journal: A Journal on Language and Language Teaching http://e-journal.usd.ac.id/index.php/LLT Sanata Dharma University, Yogyakarta, Indonesia 134 ENGLISH LANGUAGE ANXIETY OF PRE-SERVICE TEACHERS: CAUSES AND COPING STRATEGIES Truly Almendo Pasaribu and Monica Ella Harendita Sanata Dharma University trulyalmendo@usd.ac.id and meharendita@usd.ac.id DOI: doi.org/10.24071/llt.2018.210202 received 2 July 2018; revised 18 September 2018; accepted 1 October 2018 Abstract Anxiety in language teaching and learning is not considered a new issue, yet there has been little information as to how English pre-service teachers in Indonesia experience and overcome anxiety. The research aimed at addressing two questions: 1) what are the possible causes of English pre-service teachers’ anxiety? And 2) how do English pre-service teachers manage anxiety when teaching? This research employed both quantitative and qualitative methods. The data were collected from questionnaires and focus group discussion. The results show that several factors contributing to pre-service teachers’ anxiety, namely: confidence, English skills, preparation, lesson delivery, students’ profiles, evaluation and classroom management. In tackling the problems, the participants applied personal, professional, social, and institutional coping strategies. Recognizing the causes of anxiety and strategies to face it can be one step forward to reduce teaching anxiety. Keywords: English language teaching, anxiety, pre-service teachers Introduction English teaching practice is one of the most important aspects in English Language Education Study Program since they need opportunities to learn from real schools. However, because they lack classroom experience, some may experience difficulties and problems resulting in anxiety, which hinders them to give a successful teaching performance. Hortwitz (1986) pointed out that many non-native language teachers experience anxiety in their target language classroom. English Pre-service teachers (PTs) may also encounter difficulties during the practicum because of their minimum experience in using the target language. For example, they may feel nervous speaking the foreign language in the classroom. Being nervous or being anxious can be brought by uncertain reasons. Previous studies have documented that learning process is influenced by language anxiety (Carroll, 1963; Horwitz and Young, 1991; and Gregersen, 2003), so PTs might also be affected by language anxiety as they are also language learners. Some research exists regarding PTs’ anxiety in classrooms. Kim and Kim (2004) documented that factors influencing PTs’ anxiety are limited English proficiency, lack of confidence, lack of knowledge about linguistics and education, insufficient preparation, being compared to native teachers, fear of mailto:trulyalmendo@usd.ac.id LLT Journal, e-ISSN 2579-9533, p-ISSN 1410-7201, Vol. 21, No. 2, October 2018 135 negative evaluation and lack of teaching experience. Establishing that anxiety is present in the EFL classrooms, it is vital for researchers to identify the causes that trigger anxiety and also the strategies used by the PTs to cope with it. Although anxiety is not considered a new issue, there has been little information as to how Indonesian PTs’ experience and overcome foreign language teaching anxiety has been experienced. It is then crucial to explore this issue by addressing two questions: 1) what are the possible causes of Indonesian PTs’ anxiety in teaching English? and 2) how do Indonesian PTs manage anxiety when teaching English? Theories Studies have investigated the causes of anxiety in the classrooms. Yoon’s study (2012) examined 52 students’ practicum in the university in Seoul, Korea. The factors of anxiety in his research were the fear of using English in the class, PTs’ confidence, class preparation, and efforts to overcome the anxiety. However, Takashi (2014) argued that English teachers’ self-perceived language proficiency levels may not necessarily be related to their anxiety about teaching English. Because there is a complex relationship between non-native English teachers’ perceived language proficiency levels and their anxiety about teaching English, he pointed out the importance of investigating complex causes of anxiety in language teaching context. Some other studies focus on the strategies to cope with anxiety in language teaching. Sameephet and Wanphet (2013) investigated the successful anxiety management strategies, namely: positive thinking, self-talking and calming down. In addition, Costa and Kallick (2000) mentioned another type of coping strategies, i.e. self-reflection, which enabled PTs to draw meaning from their teaching experience, identify the problems and gain more confidence. Some studies (Norris, Larke, & Briers, 1990; Martin & Yonder, 2000) argued the importance of administrators or supervisors in helping the students to cope with teaching anxiety. This study focuses on anxiety alleviating strategies which can be classified using Murray-Harvey categories (1999). The above mentioned strategies suggested by Sameephet and Whanphet (2013) can be categorized into Murray-Harvey’s personal coping strategies. Another category is related to professionalism. To avoid stress, PTs prepared for lessons and responsibilities related to teaching. Some PTs also managed their anxiety by turning to their social networks, e.g. family and friends. Finally, this framework emphasized that supports from academic supervisors and institutions played important roles in helping teachers with anxiety. This research uses theories from previous studies to analyze the data obtained from questionnaires and focus group discussion. Method To answer the research questions, this research employed a mixed-method. Creswell (2003, p. 12) stated that “in mixed methods research, investigators use both quantitative and qualitative data because they work to provide the best understanding of a research problem.” The first research question was investigated quantitatively by distributing questionnaires related to PTs anxiety when teaching English. As explained previously, the causes of language teaching anxiety varied among students, so the researchers also conducted focus group discussion of 7 LLT Journal, e-ISSN 2579-9533, p-ISSN 1410-7201, Vol. 21, No. 2, October 2018 136 PTs to explore more detailed information. To answer the second research question, the researcher analyzed the data from the narrations of the participants. The researchers took notes and highlighted PTs’ meaningful experience, especially their strategies to cope with foreign language teaching anxiety. The research was conducted in the English Language Education of Sanata Dharma University. The survey was planned to involve 50 English as a Foreign Language (EFL) PTs. However, because of time limitation, this study analyzed only 30 PTs who returned the questionnaires by August 2016. In September 2016, there were seven PTs involved in the discussion: three PTs with the lowest level of anxiety and four PTs with highest level of anxiety. The discussion was held near the campus of Sanata Dharma University. Findings and Discussion Causes of PTs’ Anxiety The students experienced anxiety when they taught English in a real classroom situation. The PTs found out that anxiety results in restless movement, inability to sleep, and inability to speak smoothly. Based on previous studies, this feeling stems from several causes like confidence, pre-service teachers’ language skills, preparation, lesson delivery, the situation or the condition of the students, evaluations, and classroom management (Yoon, 2012 and Kim & Kim, 2004). The analysis revealed and discussed the frequencies of those anxiety indicators experienced by the PTs. Confidence Table 1 shows that 16 PTs (53%) got nervous when they spoke in classroom. Only five PTs were shy. The table also revealed that 18 PTs had high expectations on their teaching performance. Furthermore, half of the respondents showed that they relaxed when they were about to teach. Finally, the data show that only 9 PTs didn’t feel sure about themselves in the class. Table 1. PTs’ Confidence No. Statements 1 2 3 4 % % % % 1 I get nervous when I speak in classroom 3 43 53 0 2 I feel shy when speaking English in front of students. 10 73 17 0 3 I feel very comfortable in speaking English. 7 33 57 3 4 When I’m on my way to language class, I feel very sure and relaxed. 10 40 50 0 5 I never feel quite sure of myself when I am speaking in the class. 0 70 27 3 Notes: 1: strongly disagree, 2: disagree, 3: agree, 4: strongly agree From these statements related to PTs’ confidence, most PTs were nervous not because they were shy, but because they had high expectations on their performance. This factor also appeared in the focus group discussion. The PTs had high anxiety in the first few meetings because of the unfamiliarity of the class, so they had no idea of both the teachers’ and the students’ expectations. This is in line with what Sameephet and Wanphet (2013, p.79) found in their study that LLT Journal, e-ISSN 2579-9533, p-ISSN 1410-7201, Vol. 21, No. 2, October 2018 137 “anxiety can relate to expectations”. One of the participants admitted that she was so anxious that she couldn’t sleep. She had high expectations because she wanted to meet her teacher’s expectations. To deal with this problem of the participants discussed the importance of elaborating the students’ expectations. 1) I gave the students a piece of paper to write down their expectation. And they expect reward in the class. (P4) Knowing the students’ expectations in the class helped her to alleviate the mood of the class. In her case, the students expected reward for students with best marks. She realized that giving rewards to students may not always be positive because the students might focus on the rewards rather than the subjects. She found that giving rewards sometimes can be beneficial, particularly to increase the students’ motivation. English Language Skills Table 2 shows that 17 PTs (56%) were worried to explain the lesson in English. Moreover, there were 22 PTs who worried that they may need to explain advanced vocabulary. The table reveals that most respondents (77%) PTs were afraid that they would not know how to teach certain grammatical rules. In addition, the table shows that 14 PTs (47%) became more nervous realizing that they have made errors. There were 17 respondents (57%) who were afraid that their English was not as good as the regular English teachers. Table 2. English Language Skills N Statements 1 2 3 4 % % % % 6 I worry when I explain the lesson in English. 10 33 53 3 7 I worry that I may need to explain advanced vocabulary. 3 23 70 3 8 I am afraid that I will not know how to teach certain grammatical rules. 10 13 67 1 0 9 When I realize I have made errors, I become more nervous. 0 53 47 0 10 I am afraid that my English is not as good as the regular English teachers. 7 37 50 7 Notes: 1: strongly disagree, 2: disagree, 3: agree, 4: strongly agree Table .2 shows that most PTs (77%) were afraid of not knowing certain grammatical rules. It is followed by Statement 7 which indicates that students were anxious about explaining advanced vocabulary. From these data, we could argue that the students’ mastery of English language skills influences their anxiety. PTs students were worried about their lack of linguistic mastery. Preparation As seen in table 3, only 4 PTs (13%) became more nervous when they prepared more for English class. When preparing the materials, more than half of the respondents (67%) were anxious about maintaining a good standard of preparation. There were 16 respondents (53%) who were afraid when they needed to write detailed lesson plans. 17 PTs (57%) were anxious when they had to develop suitable sources/materials for the lessons. Most respondents (87%) mentioned that they were worried if the lesson was not interesting. LLT Journal, e-ISSN 2579-9533, p-ISSN 1410-7201, Vol. 21, No. 2, October 2018 138 Table 3. Preparation N Statements 1 2 3 4 % % % % 11 The more I prepare for English class, the more nervous. 10 77 13 0 12 I am anxious about maintaining a good enough standard of preparation. 0 33 60 7 13 I am afraid when I need to write detailed lesson plan. 10 37 40 13 14 I am anxious when I have to develop suitable sources/materials for the lessons. 10 33 57 0 15 I am worried if the lesson is not interesting. 0 13 63 23 Notes: 1: strongly disagree, 2: disagree, 3: agree, 4: strongly agree The data show that the PTs wanted to make the lessons/materials interesting for the students. Most PTs also worried about having enough preparation because they wanted to give interesting materials to the students. The FGD showed that they were having difficulties in preparing the lesson plan. 2) The most complicated thing is making the syllabus and the lesson plan for the class. (P5) Although some PTs experienced difficulties in preparing the lessons, statement 13 revealed that the PTs didn’t become more nervous when preparing the lessons. In fact, they considered preparation as one strategy that helped them cope with anxiety. Lesson delivery Twelve PTs (40%) worried when they introduce new topics to my students. More than half of the respondents (67%) were afraid that they could not deliver abstract concept to my students. Most PTs (73%) feared that that they couldn’t get the students’ attention when they delivered their lessons. Most PTs (70%) feared that they couldn’t meet the goals of the lesson plan when teaching. There were 21 respondents (70%) also were afraid that they could not give appropriate feedback to the students. Table 4. Lesson Delivery N Statements 1 2 3 4 % % % % 16 I worry when I introduce new topics to my students 3 57 40 0 17 I am afraid that I cannot deliver abstract concept to my students. 3 30 60 7 18 I fear that I can’t get the students’ attention when I deliver my lessons. 0 27 53 2 0 19 I fear that I cannot meet the goals of the lesson plan when teaching. 0 30 63 7 20 I am afraid that I cannot give appropriate feedback to the students. 0 30 67 3 Notes: 1: strongly disagree, 2: disagree, 3: agree, 4: strongly agree Most PTs feared of not being able to grasp the students’ attention in the class. PTs gave great importance to getting students’ attention as it was a way to LLT Journal, e-ISSN 2579-9533, p-ISSN 1410-7201, Vol. 21, No. 2, October 2018 139 achieve the expected goals. This is in line with Merc (2011) who found out that many PTs noted that when they were able to get the students’ attention, they could meet the success levels they desired. As indicated from the data, the respondents were also anxious of not being able to meet the goals of the lesson plan. Students’ Profiles One important factor in determining the success of the learning process is the students’ context. In relation to the students’ profiles, there were 22 PTs (73%) anxious about possible problems in the class with individual learners’ misbehavior/bad behavior. More than half of the respondents (53%) were anxious that their students would not respect them in the classroom. Moreover, some PTs (57%) were anxious when their students asked them difficult questions. There were 20 PTs (67%) anxious about the strategies to give each learner the attention he needed. Most respondents (73%) were anxious that their students unable to follow the lessons as shown in table 5. Table 5. The Condition of the Students N Statements 1 2 3 4 % % % % 21 I am anxious about possible problems in the class with individual learners’ misbehavior. 3 23 60 13 22 I am anxious that my students will not respect me in the classroom. 3 43 40 13 23 I am anxious when my students ask me difficult questions. 3 40 47 10 24 I am anxious about how to give each learner the attention to each students’ needs. 3 30 57 10 25 I am anxious that my students unable to follow the lessons. 3 23 53 20 Notes: 1: strongly disagree, 2: disagree, 3: agree, 4: strongly agree The condition of the students in the classroom is proved to be one significant cause of PTs’ anxiety. In the microteaching class, the PTs taught their classmates whose English are generally at the same levels. But in the real classroom situation, the PTs should face students with different levels of English and diverse behaviors. One of them complained about the difficulties in getting the students interested in the subject: 1) I teach at a vocational school. The students I taught were close minded. They did not think that English is important. I had to teach English from the very basic. (P3) 2) The students had zero motivation to learn English. They preferred playing football than learning. (P6) These two PTs worried about being unable to motivate the students. Kim and Kim (2004) revealed that poorly motivated students can ruin the class atmosphere. They were anxious that this would be an obstacle to carry out successful teaching and learning process. Most PTs also experienced pressure from individual learners’ misbehavior. The FGD shows that one respondent was shocked when she heard that one student LLT Journal, e-ISSN 2579-9533, p-ISSN 1410-7201, Vol. 21, No. 2, October 2018 140 swore bad word in front of her. She felt humiliated by that incident. Another PT was insulted by a student’s inappropriate gesture, which was done to make other students laugh. The behavior of the students toward the PTs increases the anxiety. Evaluation Most respondents (80%) worried about not passing the practicum. The table shows that 20 PTs (67%) were anxious about being observed and evaluated by their supervisors/teachers while teaching. Most respondents (80%) were anxious with their supervisors/teachers’ expectation. On the other hand, less than half of the respondents (37%) feel anxious when they were observed by their peers. There were 18 PTs (60%) who were anxious when their supervisors/teachers gave them a verbal evaluation of their teaching practice. Table 6. Evaluations N Statements 1 2 3 4 % % % % 26 I worry about not passing the practicum. 0 20 60 20 27 I am anxious about being observed and evaluated by my supervisors while teaching. 7 27 47 20 28 I am anxious with my supervisors’ expectation 3 17 47 33 29 I feel anxious when I am observed by my peers. 13 50 27 10 30 I am anxious when my lecturer gives me a verbal evaluation of my teaching in front of my peers. 0 40 47 13 Notes: 1: strongly disagree, 2: disagree, 3: agree, 4: strongly agree The findings show that PTs were anxious about failing the practicum. They feared that they would fail the teachers’ and supervisors’ expectations. 1) The school teacher had different style of teaching from me. She limited my space in the class. She didn’t allow me to handle the class. She didn’t approve materials that I considered “fun”. She thought that games in the classroom were a waste of time. I felt stupid after being evaluated by the teacher. (P6) 2) I was afraid of making mistakes because I was observed by my school teacher. I was so nervous that I couldn’t speak smoothly. (P2) 3) I don’t know whether I should be grateful for having a supervisor who is very detailed. He expected me to be an excellent teacher. He told me about his disappointment of other Pre-Service Teachers. So I felt burdened and anxious. (P4) Participant 6 had difficulties because her space was limited by the school teacher. She felt uncomfortable being criticized by the teacher. Participant 2 was also nervous when being observed by the school teacher because he was scared of failing the class. Merc (2011) also reached similar conclusion that the presence of university’s supervisor resulted in great anxiety. Another participant in FGD LLT Journal, e-ISSN 2579-9533, p-ISSN 1410-7201, Vol. 21, No. 2, October 2018 141 mentioned that her supervisor, who was her lecturer, commented, questioned and criticized every detail that she wrote in the lesson plan. He did that because he had a high expectation that the PTs become extraordinary teachers. Although the preservice teacher learned a lot, she also experienced anxiety thinking about being evaluated by a supervisor with high expectation. In accordance to this study, Rieg, Paquette, and Chen (2007) also argued that teachers’ high expectation could be a contributing factor to students’ anxiety. Classroom management Most respondents (73%) were anxious that they could not have the full control of the class. In addition, there were 21 respondents (70%) who were worried when teaching English because the classes were crowded. Most respondents (73%) worried that they could not manage the time to deliver the materials. A half of the respondents (50%) felt uncomfortable with the noise level in their class. There were 16 PTs (53%) worried when they had to enforce discipline to the students. Table 7. Classroom Management N Statements 1 2 3 4 % % % % 31 I am anxious that I cannot have the full control of the class. 0 27 50 23 32 I am worried when teaching English because the classes are crowded. 0 30 60 10 33 I am worried I cannot manage the time to deliver the materials. 0 27 67 7 34 I feel uncomfortable with the noise level in my class. 0 50 40 10 35 I worry when I have to enforce discipline to the students. 7 40 43 10 Notes: 1: strongly disagree, 2: disagree, 3: agree, 4: strongly agree PTs believed that they did not have as much power as the teachers. They were anxious that they could not control the class and they could not manage the time well. One of the PTs mentioned that one time she was angry at one student who sang during the examination. It demotivated the class, which worried her. She felt bad being angry at the students. One of the PTs also confessed that when the teacher of the class was not around, the students would behave badly. When unable to control the class, he ignored the students who were busy by themselves. Strategies in Managing PTs’ Anxiety Students felt that being anxious hindered them from giving their best. Therefore they used different ways in tackling these problems. They managed their anxiety using personal, professional, social and institutional coping strategies. Personal Coping Strategies Murray-Harvey (1999) mentioned that there are five categories under personal coping strategies, namely: cognitive strategies, physical strategies, behavioral strategies, emotional strategies and rational strategies. The FGD reveals that some PTs used some personal coping strategies, specifically cognitive LLT Journal, e-ISSN 2579-9533, p-ISSN 1410-7201, Vol. 21, No. 2, October 2018 142 strategies, to alleviate their anxiety. The strategies are using humor, planning and preparing, getting close with the students, talking positively, rewarding the students and accepting their being nervous as a part of their learning process. a. Humor Humors are myriad in the classrooms’ walls. Both students and teachers find jokes amusing. Some PTs which were interviewed believed that humor eases the distress and the awkwardness in the classroom. 2) I don’t like a very serious class, so I tried to break the tension by using humor. (P3) 3) When we are anxious we can be awkward, which leads to making mistakes. But it is relieving to laugh together with the class when it happens. I experienced a technical problem in the class. I forgot to plug the cable and I got panicked. They noticed this silly thing and we laughed together. (P7) Participant 3 (P3) mentioned the advantage of using humor. He used this strategy because he felt that humor would help students relax. Participant 7 (P7) mentioned a strategy that she used to make the class merrier, that is by laughing at herself. She used self-deprecation. She laughed at something she did that was hilariously wrong. Humor is generally considered as an effective tool that enables us to redirect negative feelings and turn them into laughter b. Positive Talk Ronan and Kenall (1997) mentioned negative self-talk was more influential on increasing anxiety levels than positive self-talk was on decreasing anxiety levels. However, one respondent mentioned that positive self-talk was effective in reducing his anxiety. 4) When it comes to me, I think as positively as I can. I think positively that I can do it. (P2) He believed that positive thinking would decrease anxiety. This is in line with Buchler’s study who argued that “adding positive self-talk to the anxiety-reducing techniques proved to be a beneficial strategy for many of the students.” (2013, p. 150) c. Acknowledging the state of being nervous One respondent mentioned that she did not try to avoid being nervous because she considered it as a learning process. Instead, she mentioned that she was nervous in front of the class. 5) I did not have specific strategies to deal with anxiety because I think that anxiety is a part of being human. From my experience in joining the choir, I learnt not to focus on my anxiety, the more I think about the strategies to deal with anxiety, the more anxious I get. I don’t want to be more afraid. I eliminate thinking about it and I smile to the class. LLT Journal, e-ISSN 2579-9533, p-ISSN 1410-7201, Vol. 21, No. 2, October 2018 143 I admit that I’m anxious in front of the class. It turns out that they show their sympathy and listens to me. (P3) When she felt anxious, she acknowledged this feeling. She tried to see this feeling as a part of learning. She accepted that she feared teaching the students and she let the students know how she felt. Similarly, Takahashi (2014) also argued that acknowledgement of being anxious might play a key role for PTs to deal with their anxiety. Professional Coping strategies Besides personal coping strategies, Murray-Harvey (1993) also mentioned that there are three categories under professional coping strategies related to knowledge, skills and qualities of the teacher. Several strategies appeared in the FGD related to building skills and building positive relationships with the students. a. Planning and Preparing Having adequate preparation and planning is one of the professional coping strategies in reducing anxiety (as also suggested by Yoon, 2012). PTs in the FGD discussed the importance of preparation and planning. 6) I prepare plan A and plan B. I was taught in the microteaching class that we should always have Plan B because not all things work as planned. I prepared more exercises and activities in the class. I tried to find other sources to help them study. (P4) 7) I asked information from my experienced seniors so I can anticipate the materials. By knowing the materials, I can prepare or study until I master the materials (P6) Participant (4) and Participant (6) believed in that the better the preparation, the better the result. Moreover, Participant 4 prepared two plans, in case the first plan did not go smoothly. Some PTs believed that both planning and preparation were the keys to success. The discussion showed two ways of preparation: the first one is by finding other sources and the second one is by getting help from more experienced people. b. Adapting with the students One respondent felt that she didn’t want to be a teacher. Due to that fact, she acted not as the teacher, but she positioned herself as the students’ older sister. She did that because she felt that the closer your relationship to the students is, the less anxious you are. 8) I don’t want to be teacher, but I need to teach. So I position myself as the students’ older sisters. I considered them as my little brothers, so why should I be anxious of my own brother. I used quotes to attract their attention. They loved the quotes so the ask more of them (P7). From this excerpt, we see that she was proactive in getting herself close with the students. Furthermore, she did not only use quotations that were related to the students’ life, but she also talked to them outside the class and acted as their siblings. Having positive relationship with the students helped her reduce the anxiety. LLT Journal, e-ISSN 2579-9533, p-ISSN 1410-7201, Vol. 21, No. 2, October 2018 144 c. Rewarding the students Another cause of anxiety was some students felt that they were anxious of unable to control the students’ behavior. To deal with that, they believed that giving rewards to the students would help them managing the class. 9) To deal with anxiety and control the students in the class, I prepared some rewards. The students were struggling to get the rewards. (P4) 10) When I was unable to control the class, I used the reward system as thought in AMT (Approaches, Methods and Theories in teaching languages). The reward for the class is watching movies together. (P2) The students believe that rewards would make the students more motivated and more cooperative in the classroom. Knowing that students would behave after they prepare the reward, the students felt less anxious. Social Coping Strategies Sharing the problems to their social supports, like friends and family, could be a way to reduce anxiety. This strategy also appeared in the discussion, as shown in the following excerpt: 11) I learned from my boyfriend about the techniques to make my students interested. I share my feelings to him. (P6) 12) I was confused when I needed to explain about questions. I got headache to prepare the materials because I don’t think the students can handle grammar lesson well. I have a friend who is a lecturer. I am really close to him. I considered him as my family. He also experienced the same problems and he gave me enlightenment by comparing Indonesian and English question patterns. (P3) Both students realized that sharing with friends with similar experience help them reduce the anxiety. P6 felt comfortable to share her feelings to her closest friend that she was frustrated by the teacher. Because they had similar experience, she also learned from her boyfriend about the techniques in making the students interested. P3 mentioned that he shared the problems to a friend who could give solutions to him. He shared his problems to a lecturer from different university and got useful ideas from him. Institutional Coping Strategies Although the students realized that they had to be active in managing their anxiety by themselves, they also seek help from institutional authority. One respondent felt empowered by her supervisor. 13) The good thing from my school teacher is that she gives me space to handle my classroom. She told me that the class is under my watch and she allowed me to manage the class. (P5) 14) I share my problems to my advisor. I told him that I was afraid. He told me that he would guide me. He calmed me down. I saw Pak Gun LLT Journal, e-ISSN 2579-9533, p-ISSN 1410-7201, Vol. 21, No. 2, October 2018 145 taught us calmly. He guided me by saying that everything would flow well. He told me to relax. (P6) 15) My advisor gave me constructive advice that can slightly reduce my level of anxiety. (P2) We can see that Participant 5 felt good because the school teacher gave her freedom to handle the class. In addition, Participant 6 felt that talking to her university supervisor was helpful. Instead of judging her, he provided positive advice to make calm her down. Participant 2 was also encouraged by constructive advice given by his supervisor. These findings are in line with other studies that emphasize on the importance of administrators or supervisors in helping the students to cope with teaching anxiety (Norris, Larke, & Briers, 1990; Martin & Yonder, 2000). Accordingly, institutional level supports play an important role in reducing students’ stress. Due to that fact, it is crucial that supervisors provide positive supports and non-threatening evaluation for the students. Conclusion From both the questionnaires and the focus group discussion, it can be seen that the causes of English preservice teachers’ anxiety were their confidence, English skills, preparation, lesson delivery, students’ profiles, evaluation, and classroom management. As inexperienced teachers, they tended to feel unconfident with their own teaching. Expectations set by themselves as well as the teachers and supervisors added more pressure which resulted in an increased level of anxiety. As English is not their first language, they also felt anxious about their mastery of English grammar. Other significant factors which contributed to their anxiety included fear of not being able to get the students’ attention and to make the lessons interesting. In tackling the problems, the participants applied personal, professional, social, and institutional coping strategies. All those four strategies were taken to help the PTs manage and cope with their anxiety. By identifying the causes of anxiety, teacher educators are expected to be able to prepare PTs better before their placement. Teacher education programs should also help PTs through the provision of personal and meaningful guidance and supervision. Hence, it is hoped that they will be less anxious when they teach in schools. Teaching practicum in schools, therefore, should be considered as a rewarding experience rather than an unnerving one. References Astika, G. (2014). 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