An Exploration into Speaking Anxiety and its Effects in the EFL Classrooms: The Case of Second Year Licence Students at Abu Bekr Belkaid University of Tlemcen

Abstract

Speaking anxiety is a psychological phenomenon which takes place in every educational setting. In Algerian EFL classes, speaking English is affected by anxiety. Thus, the purpose of this research work was to investigate the issue of communication apprehension from different perspectives taking into account its main variables. Indeed, going through this process was helpful to suggest some strategies that either help the students to cope with speech anxiety or it will be beneficial to enhance their productive skill, i.e., speaking. To reach this end, a case study research was conducted at Abu Bekr Belkaid University (Tlemcen) relying on a number of sources and research instruments for data collection. A test and questionnaire for second year EFL licence students, classroom observation, and an interview with teachers were used. The data collected by means of these research instruments were analysed quantitatively and qualitatively. The triangulation of results revealed that all second year EFL students experienced a certain level of speaking anxiety. In this regard, students experienced speech anxiety due to being in some situations and as a result of many personal and interpersonal causes. In addition, females were more anxious to speak than male students so that it was confirmed that gender was a parameter that affected the level of speaking anxiety. Accordingly, this research work emphasised that understanding the different variables that contribute to speech anxiety is crucial for both students and teachers to enhance the speaking skill within the Algerian EFL classroom.