Speaking anxiety has been an issue that commonly experienced by many students, especially EFL learners. This research aims to find out: (1) The emergence of speaking anxiety in undergraduate students, (2) The causes of their speaking anxiety, and (3) The strategies applied to overcome speaking anxiety. This qualitative study used a case study method, presented in statistical descriptive. This study employed observation, questionnaire, and interviews as the technique of data collection with the respondents of forty two first-year English Education students. The findings revealed that 1) speaking anxiety is shown through: a) observable symptoms, including making grammar errors, mispronunciation, stuttering, making fillers or pauses, avoiding eye contact, trembling, touching objects, shaky voice; and b) non-observable symptoms, including mind went blank, nervous, difficulty concentrating, faster heart palpitation, panic, sweating, freezing, and cold palms. 2) The factors causing their speaking anxiety are; a) unprepared spontaneous performance and b) low self-confidence as the most dominant factors followed by c) students’ high expectation of performing speaking in EFL, and d) teacher-student interaction in class. 3) To alleviate their speaking anxiety, the participants proposed five strategies including a) material and mental preparation, b) relaxation techniques, c) positive thinking, d) peer-seeking, and e) building confidence. The findings imply that interference in both individual and institutional levels are essential to address the roots of speaking anxiety issues experienced by students.
