A Case Study of the “Able to Speak but Afraid to Speak” Phenomenon Among Advanced Indonesian Learners of Chinese

Abstract

This study explores the phenomenon of being “able to speak but afraid to speak”among advanced Indonesian learners of Chinese. A qualitative research approach was adopted. Two Indonesian learners who had obtained HSK Level 5 or above and had studied in China were selected as research participants. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings generated four major themes. First, advanced learners generally experienced the phenomenon of being able tospeak Chinese but lacking the confidence to speak in formal communicative situations. Second, fear of negative evaluation was identified as an important psychological factor contributing to speaking anxiety. Third, learners’ personal growth experiences, learning backgrounds, and individual characteristics jointly influenced the formation of speaking anxiety. Fourth, continuous language practice helped improve speaking confidence, but could not completely eliminate speaking anxiety in formal communicative contexts. The study concludes that speaking anxiety among advanced Chinese learners is not merely caused by insufficient language proficiency, but results from the interaction of language competence, personal experiences, psychological factors, and communicative contexts. Therefore, international Chinese language education should pay greater attention to learners’ emotional needs by creating supportive, low-anxiety classroom environments and providing more authentic opportunities for oral communication, so as to help learners gradually develop the confidence to speak Chinese.