The Impact of Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety on Speaking Performance

School of Foreign Languages, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, China

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Abstract

With the gradual change of foreign language teaching from knowledge teaching to communicative competence training, learners’ oral expression opportunities in the classroom are increasing. However, many learners will be nervous and avoid oral activities. Foreign language classroom anxiety has gradually become an important emotional factor affecting speaking performance. Although the related issues have been widely discussed, there are still differences in the degree of impact and mechanism of action between different studies, and the related results need to be further integrated. This study examines the link between foreign language classroom anxiety and speaking performance, building upon a review of previous work. The findings indicate that anxiety typically has a detrimental impact on oral output, especially in terms of fluency, accuracy, and the learner’s readiness to engage in communication. This influence is primarily mediated by several mechanisms, including constraints on cognitive processing, the operation of affective filters, and reduced engagement in communicative activities. Based on this, this paper proposes that future research should pay more attention to the differences between different teaching situations and learners, and strengthen emotional support in teaching practice to promote the development of learners’ speaking performance.