Investigating speaking anxiety among English learners of Alasmarya university at the faculty of arts Zliten .

Abstract

This study focuses on speaking anxiety in English classes. The purpose of this study is to determine the level of students’ anxiety and what causes anxiety. Also, the study investigates the factors that increase speaking anxiety among EFL learners. This research uses quantitative and qualitative methods. The Foreign Language Speaking Anxiety Scale (FLSAS) has been adapted to collect quantitative data and measure speaking anxiety. The samples of this study are 30 students from various semesters studying at the college of art Zliten. The quantitative data were analysed through descriptive statistics, and the qualitative data were analysed via content analysis. The findings of this study reveal that students experience a moderate to a high level of EFL speaking anxiety. The quantitative data demonstrates that most of the students perceive speaking as an anxiety provoking factor. In addition, fears of making mistakes and negative evaluations are the major causes of EFL speaking anxiety.