This qualitative study explored how teaching practicum experiences influence foreign language teaching anxiety (FLTA) among Korean pre-service secondary English teachers. Semi-structured interviews were conducted before and after the practicum with eight pre-service English teachers selected for their high FLTA levels. Results showed a notable reduction in anxiety post-practicum. Initially, FLTA was driven by perceived linguistic deficiencies, fear of negative evaluation, perfectionism, non-nativeness, and inadequate pedagogical preparation. After the practicum, triggers shifted toward practical classroom issues, including time management and responding to student questions. Coping strategies evolved from rigid rehearsal and avoidance to adaptive practices such as rapport-building and reflective teaching. Participants emphasized the practicum’s role in reducing anxiety through authentic teaching experiences, advocating longer and more frequent practicums. These findings highlight the critical role of supervised, experiential classroom exposure in teacher education for mitigating FLTA and easing the transition from theory to practice.

1. INTRODUCTION
2. LITERATURE REVIEW
3. METHODOLOGY
    3.1. Participants
    3.2. Data Collection
    3.3. Instruments
    3.4. Data Analysis
4. RESULTS
    4.1. Theme-based Description Before and After Practicum
    4.2. Analysis of Changes Between Pre-and Post-practicum
5. DISCUSSION
    5.1. FLTA Triggers and Coping Strategies Before Practicum
    5.2. Changes in FLTA After Practicum
6. SUMMARY AND IMPLICATIONS
REFERENCES
APPENDIX A
APPENDIX B

• Jin-Ho Noh(Graduate Student, Department of English Education, Chung-Ang University)
• Tae-Young Kim(Professor, Department of English Education, Chung-Ang University, 84, Heukseok-ro, Dongjak-gu, Seoul 06974, Korea) Corresponding author