EXPLORING ENGLISH SPEAKING ANXIETY AMONG UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IN THE PAKISTANI ESL CONTEXT: A CONCEPTUAL REVIEW

Abstract

English language holds a significant position in higher education, employment and social mobility in Pakistan. Yet, many university students experience nervousness when speaking English in class, in presentations, formal academic dialogs, etc. This conceptual review aims to discuss the English speaking anxiety of the university students in Pakistani ESL context. The paper reflects the classic research literature on foreign language classroom anxiety, as well as the more recent research on language anxiety, student engagement, and needs analysis for English learners, digital speaking, and feedback in speaking development. The review illustrates that language is not the only issue with speaking anxiety. It is also related to negative assessment, lack of self-confidence, lack of speaking practice, limited vocabulary, pronunciation concerns, teacher correction, peer pressure and social status of English in Pakistan. The paper suggests a simple theoretical model that considers personal, classroom, linguistic, sociocultural and technological factors as the influencer variables in the students speaking anxiety and classroom participation. It also recommends practical strategies that can be used in the classroom, such as giving supportive feedback, providing small group speaking activities, incorporating low stakes oral practice, carefully using technology, and being more explicit and intentional about confidence-building. The paper suggests that the fear of speaking in the ESL classroom should not be regarded as a weakness on the part of the learners but should be considered as a normal learning issue.