UNDERSTANDING ENGLISH SPEAKING DIFFICULTIES - MBTI PERSONALITY TYPES AND PSYCHOLINGUISTICS PERSPECTIVE AMONG UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

Sep 17, 2026

This study examines internal factors contributing to English-speaking difficulties among university students by integrating the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) personality framework with a psycholinguistic perspective. It analyzes how traits such as extroversion, emotional stability, and cognitive preferences relate to students’ self-perceived speaking ability. A quantitative-descriptive design with correlational analysis involved 60 students from English Language Education at STAIN Mandailing Natal, using an online MBTI instrument and a self-assessment speaking questionnaire. Results show extroverted, assertive, and judging students report higher confidence and fluency, while introverted and turbulent students report greater anxiety and hesitation.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages12

Reading Time30 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Keywords

Introduction

Methodology and Data Collection

Results and Findings

Discussion and Implications

Indonesian Journal of English Education UNDERSTANDING ENGLISH SPEAKING DIFFICULTIES: MBTI PERSONALITY TYPES AND PSYCHOLINGUISTICS PERSPECTIVE AMONG UNIVERSITY STUDENTS Rica Umrina Lubis1*, Sartika Dewi Harahap2, Indra Kurniawan Siregar3 1,2,3State College of Islamic Studies Mandailing Natal, North Sumatera, Indonesia ([umrinarica@gmail.com](umrinarica@gmail.com)) Received: November 2025 ; Revised: November 2025; Accepted: December 2025 ABSTRACT This study examines the internal factors contributing to English-speaking difficulties among university students by integrating the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) personality framework with a psycholinguistic perspective. The study focuses on how personality traits, such as extroversion, emotional stability, and cognitive preferences, relate to students’ self-perceived speaking ability. A quantitative-descriptive design with correlational analysis was employed, involving 60 students of English Language Education at STAIN Mandailing Natal. Data were collected through an online questionnaire combining a 16-item MBTI personality assessment with a 10-item self-assessment of English-speaking ability. The results indicate that students with extroverted, assertive, and judging traits demonstrated higher confidence and fluency, with an overall mean speaking score of M = 4.32. In contrast, introverted and turbulent students reported more anxiety and hesitation. A significant difference was found between the extroverted and introverted groups (p = 0.033), while the differences between judging-perceiving and turbulent-assertive groups were not statistically significant. The findings highlight the psychological dimension of speaking performance and underscore the need for language instruction responsive to learners’ emotional and personality differences. By addressing cognitive and affective aspects, educators can create more inclusive and effective strategies to support diverse speaking development in English as a foreign language. Keywords: MBTI personality types; psycholinguistic factors; English-speaking difficulties ABSTRAK Penelitian ini mengkaji faktor internal yang mempengaruhi kesulitan berbicara dalam bahasa Inggris di kalangan mahasiswa, dengan mengintegrasikan kerangka kepribadian Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) dan perspektif psikolinguistik. Fokus penelitian ini adalah bagaimana ciri-ciri kepribadian seperti ekstroversi, stabilitas emosional, dan preferensi kognitif berhubungan dengan kemampuan berbicara menurut persepsi diri mahasiswa. Penelitian ini menggunakan desain deskriptif-kuantitatif dengan analisis korelasional, melibatkan 60 mahasiswa Program Studi Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris di STAIN Mandailing Natal. Data dikumpulkan melalui kuesioner daring yang terdiri dari 16 item untuk mengidentifikasi tipe kepribadian MBTI dan 10 item penilaian diri terhadap kemampuan berbicara. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa mahasiswa dengan tipe kepribadian ekstrovert, asertif, dan judging memiliki tingkat kepercayaan diri dan kefasihan yang lebih tinggi dengan rata-rata kemampuan berbicara M=4,32 . Sebaliknya, mahasiswadengan tipe introvert dan turbulent cenderung mengalami kecemasan dan keraguan saat berbicara. Perbedaan signifikanditemukan antara kelompok ekstrovert dan introvert p=0,033, sementara perbedaan antara tipe jugding-perceiving dan turbulent-assertive tidak signifikan secara statistik. Temuan ini menekankan pentingnya aspek psikologis dalam performaberbicara dan perlunya pengajaran bahasa yang responsif terhadap perbedaan emosional dan kepribadian peserta didik. Dengan memperhatikan aspek kognitif dan afektif, pengajar dapat merancang strategi pembelajaran berbicara yanglebih inklusif dan efektif dalam konteks pembelajaran bahasa Inggris sebagai bahasa asing. Kata Kunci: MBTI tipe kepribadian; Faktor-faktor psikolinguistik; kesulitan berbicara How to Cite: Lubis, R. U., Harahap, S. D., & Siregar, I. K. (2025) . Understanding English Speaking Difficul

FAQs

How does MBTI relate to students’ English speaking difficulties in this study?

The study links MBTI personality traits to students’ self-perceived speaking ability, focusing on how personality characteristics correspond to confidence, fluency, anxiety, and hesitation.

What method and sample were used to collect the data?

A quantitative-descriptive design with correlational analysis was used with 60 university students. Data were collected via an online questionnaire combining a 16-item MBTI assessment and a 10-item self-assessment of speaking ability.

Which personality groups showed better speaking outcomes?

Students with extroverted, assertive, and judging traits demonstrated higher confidence and fluency. In contrast, introverted and turbulent students reported more anxiety and hesitation.

Sep 17, 2026

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