SPEAKING PROBLEMS AMONG EFL LEARNERS: A NARRATIVE REVIEW OF CAUSES AND COPING STRATEGIES

Abstract

Speaking plays a vital and challenging role in learning English as a foreign language (EFL). Many people learning English as a second language find it difficult to speak, mainly because of problems with grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation and also anxiety, shyness and low confidence. The article will focus on discovering what causes people to have speaking problems and the ways students handle them. To perform the study, 12 articles from 2015 to 2025 found in academic databases were reviewed with a narrative-based method. The study shows that speaking difficulties happen because of both personal and surrounding factors. Learners can face self-doubt, worry about being judged and not enough exposure to new ideas and these can also be affected by the role of teachers, the environment of the classroom and different teaching approaches. Copers make use of learners’ daily word memory practice and their own self-talk in the mirror and teachers respond by communicating supportive advice and leading activities. It finds that successful speaking teaching needs to reflect on the emotional and thinking needs of the learners. Teachers are advised to create a nice atmosphere in the classroom and include strategies that help students feel calm and take an active role in talking.