The cause factors of Foreign Language Reading Anxiety relating to English text

Reading anxiety is the insecurity aroused during the process of reading second language text. During the decades there were many researchers interested in investigating foreign language reading anxiety as the affective investigation of students’ attitude towards foreign language text. They have proven that reading anxiety does exist among foreign language students (Muhlis, 2017; Saito, Horwitz, & Garza, 1999; Zhou, 2017). Therefore, the present research is aimed to investigate (1) the level of reading anxiety and (2) its cause factors relating to the English text among participants at the fourth semester of English Education Department at State Islamic University since the result is hopefully could be useful in order to preventing reading anxiety. This research used qualitative descriptive method and conducted in the fourth semester of English Education Department at State Islamic University. The sample was selected by purposeful sampling and the data was obtained from FLRAS, PLSPQ, and interviews. The data analysis was presented by describing the result of questionnaires and interviews. As besides, there was a little numerical data from the test result which had obtained by the participants score. Based on the score calculation of participant responses toward FLRAS questionnaire, it can be concluded that the most of participants in this study experienced reading anxiety in medium level. The presentations for medium level reach up to 65%. For the other levels, there are six participants (26%) fell in the low level and three participants (9%) fell in the high level.While depend on PLSPQ questionnaire and interview, the cause factors of foreign language reading anxiety relating to English text perceived by participants are strange vocabulary, unfamiliar topic, unfamiliar culture, kind of genres and grammar. It is approved by 65.30% of the average of total participants supported that unfamiliar topic as the cause factor of reading anxiety. The average of total participants who perceived that unknown vocabulary as the cause factor reached 57.06%. Whereas, for unfamiliar culture hits to 34.71%. Furthermore, in interview session the participants admitted that argumentative text and information report are also the cause factors of their reading anxiety. In conclusion, this research shows that reading anxiety does exist among participants of English Education Department. Moreover the most participants in this study experienced reading anxiety in medium level, which should not be considered as a narrow problem. Hopefully, by knowing the cause factors of foreign language reading anxiety relating to the English text, English foreign language teacher would minimalize reading anxiety through proper reading strategy. Those anxious language learner should get serious attention from the teachers in order to improve reading comprehension performance of the students