Determining the causes of secondary school students' speech anxiety

This research aimed to determine the causes of secondary school students' speech anxiety. The research was conducted with the action research design, one of the qualitative research designs. The research was conducted with 5th grade students studying at Buca Secondary School in Buca district of Izmir province in the 2022-2023 academic year. 12 students selected according to the purposeful sampling method participated in the study. Research data was obtained with a 10-item semi-structured interview form. The data obtained was analyzed using the content analysis method, and themes and codes were created with the data obtained. Research findings; It has been revealed that students who experience speaking anxiety are valued in their family environments, they understand anxiety from their physical and emotional reactions and define anxiety in the light of these reactions, they experience anxiety because they will be made fun of by their peers in the classroom environment, they have a need for approval by their peers, and they resort to internal persuasion methods to cope with anxiety. puts it.