Lini Nur Adhilah, 2026. Delving into Male Students’ Reluctance to English Speaking: The Roles of Emotion and Gender Stereotypes among TKJ Class Students at SMKN 1 Palopo. (Supervised by Rusdiana Junaid and Hafirah Patang)
This study investigated the relationship between emotional factors, gender stereotypes, and male students’ reluctance to speak English in the TKJ class at SMKN 1 Palopo, as well as how these factors shaped students’ speaking behavior. An explanatory sequential mixed-methods design was employed. Quantitative data were collected through questionnaires administered to 16 male students and analyzed using descriptive statistics and Spearman Rank. Qualitative data were obtained through classroom observations and semi-structured interviews with six participants and analyzed using thematic analysis. The quantitative results indicated that emotional factors and gender stereotypes had very weak and statistically non significant relationships with students’ reluctance to speak English. Emotional factors showed a very weak positive correlation (rs = .156, p = .564), whereas gender stereotypes demonstrated a very weak correlation (rs = -.053, p = .846). Descriptive findings suggested that students experienced embarrassment when mispronouncing words, nervousness during speaking activities, and reduced confidence when speaking in front of classmates. The qualitative findings provided a deeper understanding of students’ classroom experiences. Students frequently reported nervousness, fear of making mistakes, embarrassment, low self-confidence, and fear of negative evaluation. These emotional challenges were reflected in hesitation, delayed responses, short answers, and limited participation. In contrast, gender stereotypes played only a minor role, as most participants rejected the belief that English was more suitable for female students. Overall, the study suggests that male students’ reluctance to speak English was influenced more by emotional and situational classroom factors than by gender stereotypes.