Speaking anxiety during English oral presentations

Abstract

Students at the tertiary level must be placed in an interactive learning setting since traditional lectures are no longer the most effective method of getting students involved in active learning. One of the criteria for passing the course in the department of English and Translation at Qassim University is the performance in the oral presentation simulation. Since this performance of a presentation is not just dependent on the cognitive domain but also the affective dimension, and speaking anxiety can be detrimental to students’ performance affecting their learning motivation in the long run and grades in the short term. This study, therefore, examines the level of anxiety, signs of anxiety and factors that lead to oral anxiety among Saudi EFL students. Fifty students from the department of English and Translation at Qassim University’s second semester comprised the study sample. Direct observation, in-depth interviews, and surveys were used to collect data from the participants. Results show that students experience moderate levels of anxiety related to language (M= 3.51, SD= 0.54).