Speaking is a challenging skill for many EFL learners, particularly for students with introverted personalities who often experience anxiety and reluctance to participate in oral activities. Teaching strategies therefore play an important role in shaping introverted students’ reactions toward speaking classes. This study aims to investigate introverted students’ reactions to teaching strategies used in an EFL speaking class, focusing specifically on peer teaching, think–pair–share, and game-based learning. A qualitative research design was employed, involving classroom observations and semi-structured interviews with introverted students. The findings reveal that introverted students responded positively to the selected strategies, as they provided a supportive and low-anxiety learning environment. Peer teaching helped increase students’ confidence through interaction with peers, think–pair–share allowed sufficient thinking time before speaking, and game-based learning created a relaxed and enjoyable classroom atmosphere. These strategies enabled introverted students to participate more actively in speaking activities without excessive pressure. Overall, the study highlights the importance of personality-sensitive pedagogy and suggests that collaborative and student-centered teaching strategies can effectively support introverted learners’ engagement and confidence in EFL speaking classes.
