A growing dilemma: English speaking anxiety-in-EFL classrooms: A review of research

Abstract

The current study aims to discuss the current situation of research on speaking anxiety of EFL learners through some variables. The journals indexed in various databases were searched and 59 studies were selected for the review by considering (a) the participant selection process of the studies (b) the main causes of speaking anxiety in EFL classrooms (c) whether there is any difference according to some variables including level of proficiency, gender, and English learning background (d) how the participants perceive themselves in terms of speaking anxiety. It was found that the number of studies on speaking anxiety has been on the increase in the last decade. When it comes to the causes of speaking anxiety in the bunch of studies, the foremost and most reported cause of speaking anxiety is learners’ fear of making mistakes, being compared by others, proficiency level and gender type. As speaking one of the four skills to communicate in any language, it is important to find solutions to these questions and enhance the development of the EFL learners’ speaking skills. The findings yield important insights on Turkish EFL learners speaking anxiety in English for all the stakeholders ranging from teachers and learners. In addition, it is hoped that, from the sociological perspective, this paper will pave a way to rethink and criticize the local context in countries which do not include oral exams in their national standardized testing system and mandate receptive skills.