Safira Yasinta Karenina Hidayat, S82002019. Synchronous Computer-Mediated Communication vs Face to Face Interaction: EFL Students perception on Speaking Anxiety. First Consultant: Prof. Dr. Djatmika, MA.; Second Consultant: Dr. Ngadiso, M.Pd. Thesis. English Education Department, Graduate School of Teacher Training and Education Faculty, Sebelas Maret University, Surakarta.

This research was carried out by proposing the following objectives: (1) to know the student’s perspective on the use of SCMC and FTF toward their speaking anxiety; (2) to investigate which mode of interaction influences the students speaking skill, SCMC or FTF; (3) to explain the reason why the students feel anxious when they speak in class.

The present qualitative study examines students' perception of using FTF or SCMC toward their speaking anxiety. To collect the data the researched used a questionnaire, and an interview. The participants of this research consisted of 30 EFL students who had already experienced both environments (SCMC and FTF) to support their learning process. Then, the interview was presented by five students of English language education. The researcher calculated the data using statistical analysis to get the percentage of each item. Then, the researcher used interactive models from Miles et al. (2018) to analyze the data.

An analysis of data from this data explicates revelaed that the students reported feeling anxious when speaking English face-to-face. Otherwise, the students feel more comfortable, confident and relaxed when they speak in SCMC mode. Based on the student’s perception, some individuals showed some improvements in their vocabulary, grammar, and fluency. In addition, the FTF environment aids them in preventing misunderstandings and student confusion when speaking with the interlocutor. Furthermore, several causes make the students anxious, which include (1) fear of making mistakes, (2) low self-esteem, and (3) classroom conditions. This study implies that the teacher is responsible for looking for an effective strategy to create a comfortable environment to increase the student’s confidence in speaking skills.