The Impact of Foreign Language Anxiety on Students’ Speaking Skill Case Study: Third-Year English Students at Amar Thelidji University of Laghouat

Abstract

Foreign language anxiety is considered as a major issue that most foreign language learners suffer from. The present study examines the impact of foreign language anxiety on the students’ speaking skill. Furthermore, it aims also at discovering the sources and the effects of this phenomenon as well as to provide some strategies that may help to reduce it. This study relies on two tools of data collection: a questionnaire that was addressed to fifty third-year LMD students of Laghouat University, and an interview with three teachers. The findings of the study revealed that most of the third-year students suffer from anxiety especially when they tend to speak. Additionally, the findings indicated that there are many sources of anxiety that affect the students’ learning process, such as communication apprehension, classroom environment, and fear of negative evaluation. The results obtained from the questionnaire and the interview confirm the hypothesis set for this research that is if learners cope with their anxiety, they will enhance their speaking skill. Furthermore, in an attempt to find some solutions, we suggest some strategies in order to help teachers to create comfortable atmosphere as well as to strengthen students’ self –confidence