Investigating Oral Performance Anxiety Among Iraqi First-Year EFL University Students: Levels, Types, and Contributing Factors
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33394/jollt.v14i4.21492Keywords:
Foreign language anxiety, Speaking skill, Oral performance, EFL learners, Cognitive anxietyAbstract
Speaking is often the most anxiety-inducing language skill for EFL learners, and first-year university students face particular pressure as they transition to more demanding, evaluative oral tasks; however, this challenge remains underexamined among Iraqi university EFL learners specifically. The present study examined the level, dominant type, and causes of oral performance anxiety among first-year Iraqi EFL learners. One hundred-fifty undergraduate EFL learners from Iraq participated, selected via purposive sampling based on intermediate English proficiency (ages 20–25). The Causes of Speaking Anxiety Questionnaire (CSAI) and the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) were used, and data were analyzed using SPSS. Results showed that speaking anxiety was a major problem for the learners in this sample: 90.6% exhibited high levels of anxiety, with mean scores of 3.64 for cognitive anxiety, 3.40 for somatic anxiety, and 3.40 for behavioral anxiety. Cognitive anxiety was the most prevalent type. Fear of receiving a low grade from teachers was the leading cause (M = 3.99), endorsed by 116 of 150 participants (77.3%). These findings suggest that speaking anxiety is not a uniform trait among students, and that instructors should adopt supportive feedback, low-stakes speaking practice, gradual increases in task difficulty, and dedicated preparation time when designing oral activities.
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