‘ <i>My Mind Goes Blank, and I Just Want to Disappear</i> ’: Dual‐Source Anxiety and Face Dynamics in Thai Collectivist <scp>EFL</scp> Classrooms

ABSTRACT While English proficiency constitutes a critical educational goal in Thailand, English Learning Anxiety (ELA) remains inadequately understood within Thai cultural contexts. Grounded in Hofstede's cultural dimensions framework and Brown and Levinson's face theory, this mixed‐methods study examined ELA prevalence, contributing factors, and coping strategies among 400 Thai EFL university students across five southern campuses, supplemented by semi‐structured interviews with 10 participants. Results revealed moderate overall anxiety ( = 3.29), with fear of negative evaluation emerging as the most prominent component ( = 3.55), diverging from Western models where communication apprehension typically dominates. In Thai collectivist classrooms, errors simultaneously threaten both personal and collective face, giving rise to dual‐source anxiety as a culturally situated interpretive extension of existing FLA frameworks that addresses theoretical gaps Western‐derived models do not fully explain. Anxiety persisted despite adequate preparation, confirming that collectivist face dynamics rather than skill deficits constitute primary triggers. Public speaking pressure dominated anxiety triggers (29.62%), while students employed balanced problem‐focused (34.54%) and emotion‐focused (34.53%) coping strategies, with social interaction functioning as a culturally specific face‐restoration mechanism. The study advances Foreign Language Anxiety (FLA) theory by proposing dual‐source anxiety as a culture‐specific construct applicable across collectivist Asian EFL contexts and provides guidance for reducing anxiety through scaffolded activities, normalized error climates, and systemic assessment reform.