UNIVERSITY SULTAN MOULAY SLIMANE

ÉCOLE NORMALE SUPÉRIEURE

BENI MELLAL

ENGLISH DEPARTMENT

Exploring the Factors contributing to English Speaking

Anxiety among High School Students in Beni Mellal:
Four High Schools in Beni Mellal
as a case study

A Monograph submitted in partial fulfillment for the requirements of the

BA degree in Education- English Option”

PREPARED BY : UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF :

OUSSAID Azzeddine Dr. QASSERAS Mohammed

ACADEMIC YEAR 2023-2024

 I. ABSTRACT

This monograph investigates the primary contributing factors and manifestations of

speaking anxiety among Moroccan high school students and the strategies that can be effective in
helping learners reduce it. To achieve this aim, methods approach, comprising a focus group and
interviews with both students and teachers from four high school including Hassan I Tagleft,
Hassan II, Mouha Ou Hammou, Adouz high schools Beni Mellal, in Morocco, is utilized for a
comprehensive exploration of the research questions. The study employed a convergent method
design in which interviews, focus-group with both students and teachers were used to collect data
from a sample of 40 students and 15 teachers. The results obtained reveal that high school students
demonstrate moderate levels of foreign language classroom anxiety and revealed that five major
themes were related to students’ English language speaking anxiety such as students inability to
speak due to the lack of vocabulary and grammar, fear of negative responses from others, low self-
esteem, fear of being evaluated by teachers, and cultural influences to speak English due to a more
adopted teacher-centered style approach. Suggestions and policy implications are also discussed in
details. Moreover, the strategies presented either by students or teachers used to cope with speaking
anxiety included a variety of affective relaxation as one of the suggested solutions,
preparation/practice, taking part in as many speaking activities as possible inside and beyond the
classroom, peer seeking. It is hoped that the findings of this research can provide enough
information and add knowledge to English teachers about EFL students’ level of anxiety so that
they could find an appropriate strategy to reduce their high school students’ speaking anxiety.

Keywords: speaking, anxiety, Types of anxiety in a foreign language learning, levels of anxiety,
factors of speaking anxiety, overcoming speaking anxiety.

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 II. DEDICATION

It is with genuine gratitude and warm regard that I dedicate this work to my parents who
were by my side in my ups and downs. They provided me with endless love and support that pushed
me to accomplish this dissertation.

I would like to express my gratitude to Allah, who granted me health, patience, and the
support needed to complete my thesis.

I am deeply thankful to my supervisor, Dr. MOHAMMED QASSERAS. Without his

guidance, this task would not have been accomplished.

I extend my heartfelt thanks to my previous teacher, Dr. BENLGHRISSI Hassan. for his
unwavering support throughout my BA journey.

My appreciation also extends to my family and friends, whose assistance and support were
invaluable throughout the entire process.

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 III. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I would like to express my deepest appreciation to the English Department at the Higher
School of Education and Training, Sultan Moulay Slimane University, Beni Mellal, for providing
me with the opportunity to pursue my BA degree in Education.

I am especially indebted to my supervisor, Dr. MOHAMMED QASSERRAS, whose

profound knowledge, expertise, and dedication to his students have been an invaluable asset to my
research. His constructive feedback, patience, and continuous encouragement have pushed me to
strive for excellence and to overcome the challenges that arose during the research process.

I would also like to extend my sincere thanks to all my previous teachers Professor
BENLGHRISI Hassan, YAZIDI Mustapha, HILLALI Abdelkarim, BENSALEM Boutaïna, BEN
ROCHD Reitha , KADDI Youssra,and CHAKOUR Khaoula who introduced me to the foundations
of research and provided valuable advice and assistance with administrative procedures, which
allowed me to successfully carry out my field research.

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 Table of Contents
I. ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................................ 2
II. DEDICATION ................................................................................................................... 3
III. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ............................................................................................. 4
Section 1: Introduction ............................................................................................................ 7
1.1. Research objective ....................................................................................................... 9
1.2. Research questions ....................................................................................................... 9
Section 2: Literature review .............................................................................................. 10
2.1. Speaking ..................................................................................................................... 10
2.2. Anxiety ....................................................................................................................... 11
2.3. Types of anxiety in foreign language learning .......................................................... 12
2.4. Levels of anxiety ........................................................................................................ 12
2.5. Factors of speaking anxiety ........................................................................................ 14
2.6. Overcoming speaking anxiety .................................................................................... 15
Section 3: Methodology ......................................................................................................... 16
3.1. Introduction ................................................................................................................... 16
3.2. Design of the Study ....................................................................................................... 16
3.3. The case study ............................................................................................................... 17
3.4. The participants ............................................................................................................. 17
3.5. Instruments .................................................................................................................... 21
3.1. Tools used to collect data were ............................................................................ 21
3.6. Data collection ............................................................................................................... 22
3.7. Limitations ..................................................................................................................... 23
3.8. Ethical Considerations ................................................................................................... 23
3.9. Conclusion ..................................................................................................................... 25
Section 4: data analysis and discussion ................................................................................. 26
4.2. Findings ......................................................................................................................... 26
4.2.1. Survey’s findings ......................................................................................................... 26
4.3. Data Presentation and Analysis of student group ...................................................... 28
4.4. The challenge of Preparedness................................................................................... 29
4.5. The challenge of Fear of being less competent .......................................................... 29
4.6. Lack of vocabulary and Fear of being focus of attention ......................................... 30
4.7. Data Presentation and Analysis of students’ Interviews ............................................ 30
4.8. Comparison between focus group and student interviews ......................................... 34
4.9. Thematic Analysis of the Teacher Interview Responses ........................................... 35
4.10. Contributing factors of students speaking anxiety in class ........................................ 37
4.11. Comparison between students and teachers interviews findings ............................... 42
Section 4 : Discussion .............................................................................................................. 44
Section 5: Conclusion .............................................................................................................. 47
.1. Limitations ....................................................................................................................... 47
5.2 Recommendation ......................................................................................................... 49
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References ................................................................................................................................ 51
APPENDICES ......................................................................................................................... 54
Appendix 1: The English Version of the Students and teachers interviews ......................... 54
I. Teachers interview ......................................................................................................... 54
1. English version .............................................................................................................. 54
2. Arabic version................................................................................................................ 56
II. Students interview ......................................................................................................... 56
1. Arabic version................................................................................................................ 56
2. English version .............................................................................................................. 57

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 Section 1: Introduction

English language has known enormous increasing of users all over the world since it has
become one of the primary languages used by many people in many parts of the world. Therefore, it
is now essential for every individual to speak English to adjust with the requirement and needs of
world and the global trend. Consequently, it has become necessary for Moroccan authorities to include
English as a second language in educational system as one of the important basis as it is highly needed
for students’ personal and professional development. In all high schools across Morocco, English
language is taught as a foreign language for one year in middle school then three more years in high
school. Students are provide with a syllabus that guarantees learning the four basic skills of language,
writing, reading, listening and speaking. Needless to say that speaking is the most difficult skill for
high school students that they are struggling with in their studies, as most of them can somehow read
and write in English but on the other hand they do not show enough ability in speaking.

As the number of English speakers around the world increases, English has become the
language used by many people in many parts of the world. Therefore, it has now become important
for everyone to speak English. As a result, the Moroccan authorities had to introduce this language
into the Moroccan education system. Because this language is essential for the personal and
professional development of students

Many English language instructors often encounter challenges with their students'
participationin speaking classes. Students frequently exhibit reluctance and hesitation to speak
up, a common concern voiced by ESL/EFL teachers regarding their reticent learners. This
underscores the difficulty of teaching spoken language compared to other facets of language
instruction (Brown & Yule, 1999). Moreover, speaking can induce high levels of anxiety among
learners (Horwitz, Horwitz & Cope, 1986).

Speaking anxiety has been widely investigated in the Education world. It has become one of
the problems that occur for most of the students when they are asked to speak in English in
front of many people.so, the matter of Speaking anxiety as a an issue has always existed
among students and learners in general even those who have good level proficiency and
fluency in English language . This can negatively affect student's performance; therefore, it is
necessary to investigate research on this phenomenon in order to identify the actual sources
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 and to reach the truthful reality answering the question of why most of the students feel anxious
when they are asked to speak English.

One of the most primary and popular affective factors in the EFL/ESL field is anxiety.
Almost all the previous researches approved that the issue anxiety is debilitating to foreign
language learners and high school specifically, especially on their speaking skill. For that
reason, research in the EFL/ESL area redirected its focus and attention to the learner and the
variables that may affect learners’ effectiveness learn a foreign language. Gattegno's Silent Way
(Gattegno, 1972), Curran 's Community Language Learning (1976), Terrell 's Natural Approach
(1977) and Lozano 's Suggestopedia (1978) are only a few of the innovative and inventive
teaching methods and approaches that is highly emphasized the significance steps to create an
anxiety-free learning environment that encourages learners’ autonomy and motivation so as to
achieve higher learning outcomes. This is especially essential when it comes to promoting
students ability to speak and communicate smoothly and fluently in the target language. In any
language classroom, there are always students who may express and share their disappointment
and frustration because they are not able to speak the language they are learning but they can
understand it ; they feel stressed, humiliated and ashamed when they are unable to speak
properly in front of their classmates. All of these negative feelings that come up can be def in
the phenomenon of foreign language speaking anxiety.

Anxiety is a negative way to present human feelings to the external world. When we
are feel anxious, we are nervous, worried, and fearful about what we are going to express in
mind. We struggle, tremble, perspire, and our hearts beat quickly in a way that our bodies take
the form of defense. In general, it can be concluded that anxiety is a complex concept that is
influenced not only by the individual's ability but also by his evaluation concerning the potential
and perceived threats inherent in certain situations (Tobias, 1986). In plain words, anxiety is
usually associated with unpleasant feelings and is similar to fear (Lader, 1975). Anxiety in
communicating in a second/foreign language or sharing ideas in an oral way, especially when
that language is English may have a debilitating effect and can influence students’ adaptation
to the target environment and ultimately hinder their educational goals. There is also an
agreement that Anxiety has been linked to performance and anxiety has been shown to have a
negative impact on learning and achievement of learners.

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 Vocabulary plays a significant role in contributing to speaking anxiety among high
school students. According to Gudykunst (1998), a limited vocabulary can create barriers to
effectivecommunication and increase feelings of anxiety and frustration. When students lack
thenecessary vocabulary to express their thoughts and ideas accurately, they may experience
heightened levels of anxiety when required to speak in English.

Speaking anxiety can have profound effects on high school students, hindering their
academicsuccess and social interactions. As noted by Daly and McCroskey (1975), anxiety
about speaking in public is one of the most common fears among individuals, and for students,
this fear can be particularly debilitating. High levels of anxiety can lead to avoidance behaviors,
reluctance to participate in class discussions, and decreased confidence in oral communication
skills It is essential to recognize that speaking anxiety is not a new phenomenon but has been
documented throughout history. From the ancient Greeks' fear of public speaking to
contemporary research on communication apprehension, speaking anxiety has been a persistent
challenge for individuals across cultures and time periods. Understanding the historical context
of speaking anxiety can provide valuable insights into its prevalence and impact on language
learners in modern educational settings.

Students’ speaking anxiety in front of the class or with the teacher or another student
may influence in some aspects, such as in language acquisition, or their ability in mastery the
foreign language. From this assumption, this study concerns foreign language student’s anxiety
of high school students. The primary aim of this research are to find out what are the
contributing causes and factors that make students feel anxious in learning English and
languages in general speaking and to answer the issue of levels of students’ anxiety in learning
English, and the strategies used by that students to reduce their anxiety.

1.1. Research objective

1. To determine the sources that cause speaking anxiety among high school students of Beni
Mellal.
2. To explore what students should do to overcome challenges and improve their speaking
skills.
1.2. Research questions
1. What factors contribute to high school students speaking anxiety and to what extent
the lack of vocabulary might be considered as a major factor in this problem?
2. How high school students can challenge speaking anxiety?

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 Section 2: Literature review

Throughout this study, we attempt to offer some previous studies from different
disciplines and scholars that are related to this study will be reviewed. In order to see to what
extent students are suffering from speaking anxiety as an exhausting educational issue in
different countries and especially in Moroccan context in which English considered as second
language. In fact all previous studies agree that learners cannot learn a language without many
opportunities for meaningfulrepletion. As John Adams said in “practice makes perfect, which he
stated clearly the significance of speaking.

2.1. Speaking

According to Richards (2008), we understand that speaking activity needs talk

performance in which the speaker has to organize and formulate information in an easily
comprehensible order, using discourse markers, repetition, and stress emphasizing important
points, etc. Moreover, Goh and Burns (2012) stated that learners often experience difficulty
while speaking. For instance, they must get engaged in different various mental, internal and
cognitive processes because they can support their speaking development process. However, it
is not the case where they find it easy to work optimally to help them to produce speech fluently
and accurately. The process of Speaking itself has some aspects to be considered. Rodriques
(2000) mentioned some aspects of speaking activity including mastering a different sound
system, vocabulary, grammatical pattern, and oral ability. Moreover, there are many different
kinds of speaking activities that can be motivating and encouraging students and learners to talk
and they are mostly used in school or an English competition. The first example is storytelling.
Ellis and Jean (2014) argued that storytelling is an activity to tell a story to people. This can be
through telling a story from a written form such as a book by reading loudly or telling a story
without a book from the experiences you have gathered through your own life. Furthermore,
they also declared that storytelling is not only confined to parents with their children but the
storytelling activity is also can be used by teachers as a technique to engage and raise the interest
of students in the classroom. The next activity that can be useful is the debate. Debate is one of
the popular activities included in the syllabus almost of all the world schools to improve
speaking (Baruah, 2006; Wahyuni et al, 2020). In English classes, they use it as a useful
technique in a speaking activity. Even though most students can have a sort of feeling of shyness

10
taking part in debating activity, but it is often involved in English competitions. Furthermore,
he went through explaining the debate activity as a strategy to make students overcome their
feeling of fear, the students are allowed to share their arguments in advance. Therefore, it is
important to pair the competitors. One makes a point and the other refute it to enhance the
critical thinking of learners

2.2. Anxiety
Anxiety as a concept is kind of disadvantage that affects students badly and makes them
unable to communicate well in English; in which they actually are capable to express something
that has to tell but they could not show it in a good way due to anxiety (Brown, 2001). Therefore,
the researcher has decided to do the research to investigate the factors that make most students
feel anxious when they are asked to speak English. Eventually,this issue should be identified
and studied so as to make the best example for everyone who wants to master speaking skills or
to be a good speaker, especially in English. Many researchers noticed the phenomenon really
exist and has a debilitating effects in the speaking classroom. Therefore, English teachers in
some of the Moroccan schools have come up with the solution of encouraging or making
English become their target language with the aim to enhance the ability and competency in
speaking English (Sundari, 2017). Speaking anxiety is a complex concept that is the most
frequently cited concerns by the foreign language learners which may in a way or another
negatively impact their performance and ability to use language taught especially when it has
to do with speaking English language (Mak, 2011 & Liu, 2006). Speaking anxiety is the situation
where the fear felt by individuals in the classwhen speaking and expressing something they know
(Zhanibek, 2001). It is consistently a significant area of interest in the educational context and
in language learning process because it is an important block for foreign language learning that
students must work to overcome (Wu, 2010 & Zheng, 2008). It prevents speakers the productive
performance of language learners while learning a sort of target language (Hashemi & Abbasi,
2013) and anxiety can make language learners have low levels of encouragement and the
required motivation, losing confidence in their abilities, escaping from participating in class
activities, even abandoning attempts to learn the language well (Na, 2007)

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 2.3Types of anxiety in foreign language learning

According to Spielberger et al. (1976), as cited in Woodrow (2006), anxiety can be

classified into three categories. They are trait anxiety, state anxiety, and situation- specific
anxiety. The stable one is trait anxiety. Trait anxiety can make people feel nervous in a wide
range of situations. People with trait anxiety are predictably and generally anxious with many
things. State anxiety is understood as a temporary one; it is not constant, especially in the school
context. Foreign language anxiety can also be understood in relation to state anxiety.
Eventually, situation-specific anxiety can be reflected as a trait that is repeated in various
specific situations. The situation-specific anxiety is similar to trait except that it applies to a
single context or situation only. These views are in line with Cattell and Schier (1963), as cited
in Cassady (2010).

On the other hand, Alpert and Habert (1960), as cited in Palwak (2015), they argue that
anxiety can be divided into two categories which are debilitative and facilitative. The first type
is for a negative way where the students may have problems with concentration, be unwilling
or willing but do not want to participate in the in-class activity. The second type motivator for
students is to discover and to learn more for the aim of preparing for the classes or exams.
Furthermore, Spielberger, et al. (1976), cited in Gopang, et al. (2015), stated that speaking
anxiety generally consists of two components namely state anxiety and trait anxiety. The state
anxiety that individual experience is a subjective feelings of being tension, apprehension,
nervous, and worried related with the arousal of the nervous system. Trait anxiety is associated
with a personality trait. In other words, a person who has trait anxiety feels anxious in various
situations.

2.4. Levels of anxiety

Every speaker has a different level or a different area of anxiety depending on the outside
stimulus in a particular circumstance. These differences can be varying from one person to another.
Cizek and Samantha (2012) mentioned clearly three levels of anxiety that one can experience. The
first is low anxiety for a person who is completely unmotivated. In school, such a person would
appear to be unconcerned about an upcoming test and perhaps unworried. The second, high level of
anxiety for a person would appear immensely concerned about an upcoming test. Finally, there is a
moderate level of anxiety. It is a person who experiences a little nervous about the test.
Basavanthappa (2007) asserted that anxiety can be classified into three levels: mild, moderate, and

12
panic. Mild anxiety often motivates students to engage in a goal activity. Besides, it can work as a
helping variable to focus on studying a test. Then, at a moderate level of anxiety is the person who
gets nervous. She/he will feel difficult to concentrate independently. Finally, there is a panic-level
of anxiety where in this stage people are unable to do things even with direction.

According to Tobias (1979, as cited in Andrew Yauin AESS 2011: 2064), anxiety can
be as anobstacle according to cognitive performance across all three cognitive stages: Input,
Processing, and Output. This suggests that when individuals experience anxiety, characterized
by self-deprecating thoughts, fear of failure, or concerns about performance, cognitive
resources may be diverted away from normal cognitive processing tasks. Anxiety tends to arise
during processing and output stages when cognitive processes are disrupted. For
Example When cognitive processes progress smoothly and produce positive outcomes,
anxiety typically does not manifest. However, when disruptions occur during processing,
anxiety may emerge in both the mental and physical realms. Consequently, individuals or
students may respond to poor processing outcomes with panic or worry when demonstrating
their knowledge or skills in front of others.

Joan Rubin's research on second language acquisition has provided valuable insights
into the factors that contribute to speaking anxiety among language learners. Rubin's work has
emphasized the significant role of social factors in language learning, particularly in relation to
speaking anxiety. Social dynamics, such as language variation and usage patterns within
different social contexts, have been identified as key contributors to speaking anxiety. Learners
may experience anxiety when speaking in front of others due to concerns about how they will
be perceived socially, including fears of judgment or evaluation.

Moreover, Rubin's exploration of language teaching methodologies has shed light on

additionalfactors that can exacerbate speaking anxiety. For example, students may experience
anxiety when speaking because they feel forced to follow specific language standards or
because they think language education is too strict or demanding. Teachers can better support
students in overcoming their worries and foster a more inclusive and supportive learning
environment by understanding the impact of these social and instructional elements on speaking
anxiety.

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 To sum up, Rubin's study emphasizes the complexity of speaking anxiety and stresses
how crucial it is to take social and educational aspects into account while treating this condition.
Through the integration of ideas gleaned from Rubin's research into our comprehension of
speaking anxiety, we might devise more efficacious approaches to assist language learners in
their transition towards skilled and self-assured speaking.

To sum up, Rubin's study emphasizes the complexity of speaking anxiety and stresses how
crucial it is to take social and educational aspects into account while treating this condition. Through
the integration of ideas gleaned from Rubin's research into our comprehension of speaking anxiety,
we might devise more efficacious approaches to assist language learners in their transition towards
skilled and self-assured speaking.

2.5. Factors of speaking anxiety

For Richard (1996), there are some speaking problems that teachers can come across
while tryingto make students to talk in the classroom. These are: first we have inhibition, lack
of topical knowledge, and then mother-tongue interference.

The first problem that the students often has to face is the issue of inhibition. To illustrate,
when students are trying to say Things in the target language in the classroom they are often feeling
inhibited. They feel worried about making mistakes, fearing of criticism or losing face in front of
their classmates. They are shy of being in the spot of the attention that their speech attracts.
Littlewood (2007) asserts that a foreign language classroom can create inhibitions and anxiety
easily.

Secondly, learners often find themselves unable to generate ideas or lack motivation to
express themselves. Rivers (1968) suggests that learners may struggle to articulate themselves
when the chosen topic is either unsuitable for their level of knowledge or unfamiliar to them.
Many students find it a quite challenging to respond when are put in the spot of attention to
speak and express using the foreign language they learning because they may have limited ideas
and topical knowledge, struggle with selecting the optimal vocabulary that is sufficient to use,
or lack confidence in their ability to use grammar to structure their ideas.

14
 Another problem that students may struggle with while expressing their thoughts using
the target language in speaking class is low participation. In a large group, the chance of student
to have an opportunity to talk is low because only one participant can talk at a time sothat the
others can hear him/her. Sometimes, there is the problem of tendency of some learners to
dominate to show themselves in the classroom while others they are not given enough space to
speakor not given at all.
Finally, when all or a significant number of learners share the same mother tongue, they
often tend to prefer using it. This preference arises because using their native language is
perceived as easier and more efficient, saving them time and increasing the speed of
communication.

2.6. Overcoming speaking anxiety

Speaking anxiety is a normal phenomenon that can be experienced by almost all of students
and the educator should design different techniques which can mitigate the anxiety problem and to
overcome it. Young (1990, p. 539) argues that “the process of speaking itself in the foreign language
is often one of the challenging obstacles in learning by students as their most anxiety- issue they
have ever encountered”. In relation to the anxiety problem, Tsiplakides and Keramida (2009)
mentioned some ways that can be applied by teachers to reduce students’ speaking anxiety. First of
all, having students to get involved in a short-term project work. In this project work, learners have
an active role and responsibilities towards the implementation of project work activities, which can
be enhancing to their own confidence and reduce perception’s impacts of low levels of their ability
to speak in a foreign language. Second, establishing a learning community and a supportive
classroom atmosphere since the collaborative atmosphere can help students to reduce the fear of
errors. Then, the act of making fun of students who have wrong answers was not tolerated, and there
is a norm of mistake acceptance and tolerance was established.
Harmer (1991) suggests and lists some various reasons answering the question of why
students use mother tongue in class.

Firstly, when the students are asked to have a discussion about a topic that they are incapable
of, if they want to say anything about the topic, they will use their own language. Secondly, the use
of mother- tongue is a natural thing to do in an ordinary situations. In addition, using the first
language to explain something to another if there is no encouragement from the teachers. Finally, if
teachers frequently use the students’ language, the students will feel comfortable to do it.
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 Section 3: Methodology

3.1. Introduction

This chapter covers the research approaches and methods, the chosen design, and the
procedures used to both collect and analyze the data, in addition to the sampling techniques
used to select convenient participants. Therefore, this section of the research addresses the
limitations or obstacles faced by the researcher throughout the research process. This endeavor is
steered by the following research questions:

1-What factors contribute to high school students speaking anxiety and to what extent the
lack of vocabulary might be considered a major factor in this problem?

2-How high school students can challenge speaking anxiety?

In the following sections, the research methods, sampling strategy, data collection
procedures, and data analysis techniques will be described in detail, along with discussions on
ethical considerations involved in this study. This structured and comprehensive presentation of
the research design and methodology allows for a transparent understanding of how the study was
conducted, and provides the foundation upon which the subsequent analysis and findings are based.

3.2. Design of the Study

The present study is qualitative in nature since its main purpose is to delve deeply into
the contributing factors of speaking anxiety among high school students. Therefore, a qualitative
approach, employing interviews and focus groups, is utilized to delve into participants' experiences,
perceptions, and insights, aiming to uncover rich contextual understanding and nuanced
perspectives on the research topic (Smith, 2010). This chapter provides details on participant
selection, interview protocols, facilitation techniques, and the constraints encountered during data
collection.

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3.3. The case study

The use of case study as a method for this study allows one to consider data closely within
specific contexts. Often times, case study method takes into consideration small geographical
regions as well as few number of individuals under investigation. Case studies are in essence
studies made from the view of exploration and investigate contemporary clues to real life problems
through in-depth contextual analysis based on limited amount of happening or conditions .Yin
(1984) describes the case study research method that: it is an empirical inquiry inquiring into a
contemporary phenomenon within its real life context for which no clear significant of demarcation
between context and phenomena can be made using multiple sources of evidence.

The case selected for this study comprises Hassan I Tagleft, Hassan II, Mouha Ou
Hammou, and Adouz high schools in Beni Mellal, Morocco. This particular case was chosen
because these schools represent a unique blend of educational environments within a region known
for its diverse socio-economic and cultural backgrounds. Multiple criteria were considered in the
selection process, including the availability of comprehensive data on student performance,
attendance, and extracurricular activities; the relevance of these schools to the study's focus on
educational outcomes in varied socio-economic settings; the diversity of the student population,
which provides a rich context for analysis; the location of Beni Mellal, a region undergoing
significant educational reforms; and the strong willingness of the school administrations to
participate in the study, ensuring cooperation and access to necessary information. By selecting
these high schools, the study aims to gain a comprehensive understanding of the educational
dynamics and outcomes in this particular region of Morocco.

3.4. The participants

The participants in this study include 40 students drawn from various high schools across
Beni Mellal, Morocco, such as Hassan I Tagleft and Mouha Ou Hammou Beni Mellal. The research
drew upon a sample of participants, comprised of 40 high school students, , containing 14 boys,

17
26 girls, and 15 English language teachers, all of them were drawn from various high schools
across Beni Mellal, Morocco, such as Hassan I Tagleft ,Mouha Ou Hammou, Adouz high schools
Beni Mellal, in Morocco. The students represented a wide range of academic levels, including the
common core, first year baccalaureate, and second year baccalaureate. This diverse group
represents a cross-section of students from different educational backgrounds in the region, with
males constituting 35% and females 65% of the total participants.

Figure 1: Age Distribution of Student Participants

18
 Figure 2: Gender Distribution of Student Participants

For the interview, 40students participated. Since this period is a busy period for high school
students, we struggled to find students that were willing to engage in an interview.

All the participants were from Beni meal city, and their age bracket was between 15 years old to
20 years old. This sample was selected through the purposive sampling also called judgmental sampling,
this sampling method relies on the researcher’s judgment when identifying and selecting the individuals,
cases, or events that can provide the best information to achieve the study’s objectives (Nikolopoulou,
2023),With a diverse audience sample, you can ensure that everyone’s voice is being heard, also different
environment means different experience and different opinion, which is beneficial to a qualitative study.

The purpose behind this selection is that both students have different opinions and
perceptions because they are from different fields, enriching the depth of understanding of the research
topic.

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 Figure 3: number of participants (teachers) by gender

As an integral part of this study, teachers' ideas and perspectives are of utmost Importance.
The group of teachers participating in this research includes 15 specialized teachers, carefully
selected from different secondary schools in Beni Mellal, Morocco. These teachers represent a
wide range of academic disciplines, with three professors specializing in Arabic, ten professors in
English and two professor in philosophy, two females and 13 males. Their collective experience
enriches the study, offering diverse perspectives from different educational backgrounds.
Additionally, the inclusion of a teaching inspector improves understanding and provides valuable
information from a supervision perspective. Together, these teachers bring a wealth of knowledge
and experience to the research, contributing to a comprehensive exploration of the chosen topic in
the context of secondary education in Beni Mellal.

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 3.5. Instruments

3.1. Tools used to collect data were

Interviews
An interview is a qualitative research method that relies on asking questions in order to collect
data. Interviews involve two or more people, one of whom is the interviewer asking the questions (Tegan,
2022). They were used since they help explain, better understand, and explore research subjects' opinions,
behavior, experiences, phenomenon, etc. (Virginia Tech, 2018). The semi-structured interview in this
study consists of two sections. The first section contains some questions on biographical data about the
interviewees including their age, city, years of language study. The second section concerns with a total
of 7 questions for teachers and 12 for students in both English and Arabic. This was done to help
professors from different fields understand the study better. The questions were developed based on
Alshaar's (1997) research on language learners’ focusing on speaking anxiety. The interviews were
structured and included questions specific to the study context, ensuring a comprehensive data collection
process through focus groups with students. To account for reliability and validity of the interview, the
interviewing was conducted in English and translated on the spot into the interviewees’ mother tongue,
(Moroccan Arabic) for fear that the interviewees’ limited level of proficiency in English would have
hindered their ability to express themselves with ease and reveal valuable information to serve the purpose
of the study. This also helped avoid any shyness or anxiety the informants would have felt having to speak
a language they do not master yet, especially that most of them were taking part in such an interview for
the first time.

Focus group

Focus group research is a qualitative method with interesting properties. It is performed by

planned discussion and interview with a small group of people conducted by a moderator. The
participants are sampled from the study population. The aim is to obtain knowledge of the participant's
considerations and ideas on a specific topic. The method is feasible in illuminating the variation of
viewpoints held in a population. It is used as a single source of data or in combination with other
methods. As the method provides data in a social context it is used as an alternative to individual
interviews, when appropriate, or in the initial development of a questionnaire.(Bojlén,S.,& Lunde, I.
M. (1995).

21
 The second data collection method was conducting a focus group for the students. It includes
12 questions and does not require any personal information. Consequently, they can answer and discuss
honestly and without the fear of being judged. The focus group was very clear, short, simplified, and
a few questions translated to Arabic in order to fit their level. Each question has been simplified to fit
the levels of students. Much time was given to them to think and answer freely but .We encountered
some challenges with shyness and hesitation among participants. Therefore, we implemented
techniques to alleviate their fears by creating a comforting atmosphere where they felt encouraged to
provide genuine responses without feeling pressured to fabricate information."

Triangulation
In research, triangulation refers to the use of various datasets, methodologies, theories, and/or
investigators to answer a particular topic. It is also considered a research technique that can help
improve the reliability and validity of researcher's conclusions while minimizing the impact of any
study biases. Although it is frequently employed in quantitative research, triangulation is mostly used
in qualitative research.

Triangulation is used by researchers to gain a more comprehensive understanding of a particular

study subject. Increasing authenticity and trustworthiness through triangulation is also beneficial.
Moreover, for thorough study, it is critical to collect high-quality data. Additionally, when you just
receive data from one source or researcher, it could be challenging to determine whether the data is
reliable. Therefore, triangulation aids in gaining a deeper comprehension of a researcher's research
problem. In addition to that, to increase reliability and validity which refer to how precisely it assesses
the intended outcome, triangulation is an adequate choice by strengthening the validity of research, it
allows to mix complementary strategies that take into account each other's restrictions because each
method has its own advantages and disadvantages (Bhandari, 2023).

3.7. Data collection

In this study 10 minutes wasn’t enough for an individual to explain and collect data from
participants, this process was face-to-face, and they were informed that the purpose of this study is
to solve one of the biggest students’ challenges. The participants were volunteers unpaid and
motivated to answer all the questions. Besides the interview was simplified to facilitate the process

22
 of understanding, each participants from students took 10-15 minutes to answer, for teachers the
average is 6 minutes.

3.7. Limitations

One limitation is students' lack of understanding, even though the interview was translated
into Arabic; some students did not understand the meaning of some sentences, resulting in time
wastage during the interviews we conducted. Strategies that we come up with as one of the primary
solutions to mitigate this issue could include giving and simplifying the process of interview to the
level of students to ensure the understanding of all questions and to get the required data.

Second, the use of self-report measures, in form of interviews, is subject to potential response
biases and social desirability effects. Participants may provide answers they believe align with
societal expectations or may not accurately recall or represent their actual practices in the classroom.
Efforts will be made to mitigate these limitations by ensuring confidentiality and emphasizing the
importance of honest and authentic responses.

Additionally, the study relies on the participants' self-perceptions and self-reported practices,
which may not always align with their actual behaviors in the classroom. The findings may be
influenced by participants' individual interpretations and subjective perspectives.

4.2. Ethical Considerations

In the realm of research, ethical considerations ensure respect, protection, and welfare of all
the involved participants (Resnik, 2020). In the present study, every step was taken to uphold ethical
standards. Prior to initiating the research, the study was reviewed and approved by the research
supervisor, ensuring that the research design met the required ethical guidelines for studies involving
human subjects.
While a crucial aspect of research ethics is obtaining the informed consent of the participants
(Faden et al., 1986), in this study, it was deemed necessary to minimize the option of withdrawal due

23
to the potential of unexpected departures that might affect the progress and integrity of the research.
While typically a standard provision, this was a unique consideration given the specific context and
requirements of this study. Every student and teacher involved in this research was given a consent
form that specified the study’s intent and methodology. They were made to understand that taking
part was not obligatory, and that their names would stay anonymous throughout or after the
completion of this project.

Additionally, it was considered appropriate for this research to use interviews as aspects of
collecting data. These interviews were explicitly designed to be completed by respondents at their
own pace with some assistance in a form of translating questions for some high school who struggled
with understanding the main point of the questions. This approach not only minimizes the potential
for researcher-induced bias, but also mitigates social desirability bias - the tendency of respondents
to answer questions in a way that will be viewed favorably by others (Crowne & Marlowe, 1960). By
opting for this method, the respondents were empowered to provide responses that were truly
reflective of their personal opinions and experiences, not those skewed towards societal norms or
expectations. Thereby, it ensured the authenticity of the data collected.

Mindful of the multicultural and multilingual context of the study, careful steps were taken to
facilitate understanding and accessibility for all student participants. To ensure full comprehension of
the questions and to encourage more genuine responses, the student questions was provided in both
English and Arabic. This bilingual approach was key in ensuring that language did not become a
barrier in the students' ability to express their experiences and views, thereby promoting equity in
participant engagement and ensuring the reliability of the collected data. This dual-language provision
was in keeping with the overall ethical considerations of the study, reflecting the commitment to
respect, inclusivity, and participant welfare.

Confidentiality was paramount, and all data collected were de-identified, with each participant
being assigned a unique code instead of using their names or any personal identifiers (Kaiser, 2009).
The collected research data were stored securely, with access strictly limited to the researcher.
Participants were assured that the results would be reported in aggregate form, ensuring no individual
participant could be identified from the reported data.

Participants were also assured that there would be no harmful consequences of their
participation in the research. They were informed that the research was solely dedicated to academic
24
purposes, aimed at contributing to the understanding of the relation between English language and
speaking anxiety among Moroccan high school students .

In conclusion, the ethical considerations of this research, though unique in some respects,
were designed to uphold the dignity, rights, and welfare of the participants, and were consistent with
the ethical guidelines of the American Psychological Association (APA).

4.2. Conclusion

This chapter dealt with the design of the study, which is a descriptive study that follows the
qualitative approach to gather data on the topic of speaking anxiety factors and challenges does it
bring to Moroccan high school students. It also dealt with a brief introduction to the participants
and the instruments used to gather data in this study.

25
 Section 4: data analysis and discussion

4.1. Introduction
This chapter delves into the in-depth interpretation and analysis of the data collected
through a qualitative methodology. This section of this chapter focuses on the qualitative data
derived from the interviews and focus group filled out by Moroccan high school students,
specifically Beni Mellal region. Therefore, the qualitative data obtained from the interviews with
teachers and students. Utilizing thematic analysis, the responses from the interviews are dissected,
with themes related to speaking anxiety factors that hinder student’s ability to speak, being
identified and explored. The objective of this chapter is to draw meaningful conclusions from the
data gathered and provide a comprehensive understanding of the impact of anxiety on student
speaking skills.

To answer the research questions, the researcher conducted interviews composed of a total
of seven open-ended questions with Moroccan high school teachers and and 12 for students. As for
the participants, the total number of teachers who participated in this study was fifteen. The 15
teachers fall within the age range of 24 to 56 years old. All of them are teaching scientific and
humanistic steams, and have had between 2 and 35 years of experience in teaching. This sample of
teachers from different disciplines represents a diverse group of individuals with varied
backgrounds and experiences, providing a rich source of data for the study.

4.2. Findings

4.2.1. Survey’s findings

This chapter is dedicated to the findings collected through the two data collection methods
that have been previously mentioned in the methodology chapter. It will first tackle the data
collected through the focus group and then interviews that has been administered to 40 respondents
who are students of different ages (15-20) from four high schools in Beni Mellal-Khenifra region.
Concerning high schools targeted in Beni Mellal city, they cover Hassan I Tagleft, Hassan II,
Mouha Ou Hammou, and Adouz High School.

26
 The first section presents graphs that showcase the data relevant to the core inquiries of the
study. Second, this chapter will present the findings retrieved through the process of interviews and
focus group. Interviews are conducted with 15 high school teachers and 40 students in the region
of Beni Mellal-Khenifra who participated in interviews.

Figure 1: Gender demographic

Figure 1: in this figure the gender variable’s frequencies within the sample are shown. It shows
that 26 females in all responded to the interview. They make up 65% of the entire sample. 14 male
respondents made up this group, which is 35 % of the sample as a whole. Regarding to teacher, we have 2
females and 13 male comprising 15 in total .Consequently, the participants’ gender is not equal to the study
to verify the study of Wasserstein who claims that in every study, it has been discovered that females
experience the anxiety at least two to three times more frequently than boys (….)

Figure 2: Age demographic

27
 Figure 2: presents the demographic details concerning the age groups involved in the
interview and focus group. As the pie graph shows, the age variable was split into 3 demographics.
however, more than half of 15 to 16-year-old respondents made up to 57.3% and the rest are split
between age 17 to age 20. Therefore, most participants are aged 16 and this compromise a total of
57.3%. 1.3 per cent of respondents are between 19 and 20years old.

4.3. Data Presentation and Analysis of student group

Focus group

To further explore these findings, a focus group as an enhancing method was conducted to
examine if the same results gathered throug interviews are the same and to further invistigate in
more details. During the the focus group, several instances were observed that supported the
findings regarding the factors that may cause speaking anxiety, Focus group interviews were
conducted in English and Arabic with 20 students from 2 different classes. There were 2 interview
sessions in total, and each session lasted between 15 and 20 minutes. Students who belong to the
same class represented one focus group and were met at the same time. They answered the
questions individually and they had the chance to elaborate and discuss their shared and opposite
ideas as a group by the end. Responses were mainly recorded by note taking. An interview protocol
28
 was developed in advance based on the research questions, and it included questions dealing with
the causes of speaking anxiety, the potential strategies that can reduce speaking anxiety. The
interview questions were also meant to elicit students’ beliefs about the topicin details.

Theme 1: Factors Affecting English Speaking Anxiety

During the data analysis, the focus group revealed that the majority of the participants (90%)
recognized four factors affecting English speaking anxiety. Only two participants (10%), however,
expressed other factors .
4.4. The challenge of Preparedness

During the focus group interviews, the majority of high scool students expressed concerns
about the issue of anxiety and its relationship with prepration since that less dedication enough time
and energy to prepare your what you are going to say is usually a provoking factor of language
speaking anxiety. They highlighted that students often resort to be silent rather than expressing
themselves in English while they feel anxious.
In fact, one of the Participants reported
"I once had to give a short presentation about the first part of the next lesson, but I didn't
get prepared for it. The night before, I couldn't sleep because I was so anxious. When it was time
to talk, I messed up because I wasn't prepared for it. From that time, I learned I need to be ready
for things. »
Also, 3 students highlighted this challenge of prepartion and agree with their classmates.
One of them added:
“I also find it once I had to lead a talk without getting prepared first. I felt really nervous
and couldn't keep up with the conversation, unfortunately.”

4.5. The challenge of Fear of being less competent

Another challenge identified by the another four participants was the Fear of being less
competent. They noted that they usually feel that their skills are not the same as others in a particular
situation or an educational contex. The fear often arises from comparing themeselves with their
colleagues who may seem more capable or proficient., which can lead to anxiety .
A Participant 5 explained:

"I'm always feel worried that my skills are not capable as my classmates. Whenever we got
29
 to study together, I feel like a kind of fear of not being proficient enough, like I'm trying to pretend
to know what I'm doing, but the doubt is always there”

4.6. Lack of vocabulary and Fear of being focus of attention

The third and fourth challenge that emerged from the analysis of the group focus interview
data is the lack of vocabulary and fear of being focus of attention: almost 16/20 from students
agreed that these are the sources of their speaking anxiety especially 10 out of 16 are females for
fear of being focus of attention. Therefore, we understand that one of the sources of students
speaking anxiety is lack of vocabulary. High school students get nervous because of the limited
vocabulary they have in English as the target language, especially when they speak in an academic
conversation or in a formal setting.
One of those students from the interview expressed:
“What makes me anxious to speak is my lack of vocabulary”
Another participant added to the same answer
“I am afraid of making mistakes to speak English because I lack vocabulary “
But the rest of the group believed that being in the of focus attention is the source since
Shyness and the fear of being a focus of attention may causes speaking anxiety to many high
school students believing that everyone is looking at them.
One of those participants reported
,"I am often feel nervous when it comes to speaking English in front of others because I
think too many eyes were gazing at me”

4.7. Data Presentation and Analysis of students’ Interviews

Student’s Perspectives

It was discovered that the majority of the interviewed students have different perspectives about
the topic ,each one of them has his own interpretation. The analysis was organized around participants’
own pointviews on the sources of English language speaking anxiety they encountered in their study
journey. An analysis of the interviews data revealed that major themes were repeatdly common among
students’ English language speaking anxiety.

• How do you define speaking anxiety?

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 When asked about their own definition of speaking anxiety, most students (52.5%)(21
students) felt that speaking anxiety is a feeling of nervoussness before speaking in front of others.
one of the Participants explained “sometimes, It feels like when you have to speak in front of
people, and suddenly you feel that your words is tripping over each other because you're so
nervous.”, 30% felt that it is a feeling related to unsureness about themselves and worrying a lot
they have to speak in public (12 students) a participant said it is the same feeling when you are
about to speak and you are constantly second guessing yourself, worried that you may make
mistakes while everyone is listening , a small proportion of 22.5% (9 students) were talking about
being scared to speak, feeling like a looming shadow over their confidence(25 students).

• What make some students afraid to speak in class?

Regarding question 2, one of the main aims of this question is to identify the causes which lead
to high levels of speaking anxiety .students were asked to report primary sources of English language
speaking anxiety struggling with in their study journey. Most students (72.5%) (30students)suggested
low Speaking Skill Due to Lack of Vocabulary and Grammar Knowledge. Within this theme, many
students stated that they had a low speaking skills. Mostly, they admitted they lacked vocabulary and
grammar knowledge, leading them to feel anxious to speak For instance; a participant admitted “What
makes me anxious and being able to speak is my lack of vocabulary». Another one said I feel scared
of making mistakes to speak English language because of the limited vocabulary I have. Additionally,
participants declared that they had issues also in grammar. A participant indicated that” I have
problems in English grammar, when it is related to the meaning I understand. But when I am asked to
speak I get difficulties to arrange words. It is quite hard for me”.

Furthermore, 20% of students (8 in total). Participants reported they get mocked once they tried
to speak in English with their classmates or educators inside or outside the classroom. This bad
experience made the students feel anxious about speaking. They admitted “When I speak in English,
many classmates of mine made fun of me and teased feeling like an object fun. «Again, students gave
a wide range of unique responses, some emphasizing the Low Self-Esteem to Speak English factor and
some of them talked about the Fear of Being Evaluated by Teachers. Others suggested that the lack of
speaking opportunities.

31
 • Does your teacher provide you with speaking opportunities and how often do you
have opportunities to practice speaking English outside of structured Classroom setting

The majority of students were divided into different groups. Only 10 students held positive
views about having enough speaking opportunities, with 90% expressing negative feelings stating that
they lack this kind of opportunities either inside the classroom or outside (25students), 12.5% being
neutral arguing that they have rarely due to the limited time in the Moroccan high schools (5 students),
a minority of students expressed their passion about using English outside of structured Classroom
settings reporting. "I make English alive for me outside the classroom, when I chat with different people
from every corner of the world. Therefore, many students feel like they are not given enough
opportunities to practice speaking in English. Some students struggle to figure out new ways to practice
on their own, but there not all of them. The rest of the students held the belief that they need space
where they can practice speaking English skills in a structured setting.

• In what ways do you think limited exposure to English-speaking environments

affects your confidence and proficiency in speaking English?

During the interviews, five Moroccan high school students expressed concerns about the effects
of the limited exposure to English speaking environment on their confidence and proficiency . they
highlighted that they have different levels of confidence and proficiency in speaking English since they
are exposed to limited English speaking environment. Furthermore, the 5 participants noted that they
struggled to develop their speaking abilities due to the lack of space where they can practice and use
English in authentic way to reach the proficiency required .Overall, students emphasized the need for
more speaking opportunities and support to practice English and reduce their anxiety, suggesting the
role of interactive activities and immersive learning environments.

Could you share an instance where you felt hindered in your English communication due to a
lack of vocabulary? And how do you perceive that limited vocabulary knowledge impacts your ability
to effectively communicate in English, especially in social or formal settings?

32
 Almost all of the interviewed students experienced anxiety due to the limited vocabulary they
have (32 out of 40= 80%) reported that mastering grammar very little can be conveyed, without
vocabulary nothing can be conveyed” . one of the contributing factors of language speaking anxiety is
lack of vocabulary. High school students feel nervous because of the amount of the vocabulary they
own, particularly when they are involved in an academic or a formal setting. The testimony of a
Participant goes as follows: «vocabulary is a big obstacle for me». Likewise, another Participant
echoed the same observation stating: »I once had a really difficulty time explaining a complex idea to
my colleagues because I lacked words to express it accurately. It was frustrating and made me shy to
explain something to others». Another participant announced that even though he knew how to arrange
words but, his limited vocabulary is an obstacle for him reporting that he lacked confidence in his
speaking abilities. However, while the majority of participants agreed that lacking vocabulary is a
primary factor, it’s worth noting that the two remaining students (8 out of 40= 20%) had partial
disagreements with this idea. They highlighted that "Even though some students possess a large
amount of vocabulary, they may still suffering from speaking anxiety." As a Participant reported: «I
still experience anxiety only when I try to speak in front of others but when speak to myself, I feel like
a native speaker in English”.

• To what degree do you think specific speaking opportunities would be most

advantageous for English learners, like yourself, in combating speaking anxiety, and how can
schools or educational institutions enhance avenues for students to practice speaking English
beyond the classroom?
•

Different perspectives and opinions emerged from the analysis of the interview data about the
idea of overcoming speaking anxiety through benefiting from speaking opportunities. The findings
revealed diverse student perspectives: positive and negative. Out of the 40 participants, 26 expressed
a positive view, while only 14 participants expressed a negative attitude. So the results can best be
characterized as positive on the whole.

The majority of participants who expressed positive opinion emphasized that they may prefer
organized and structured conversation that have a sort of guidance. While the minority admitted that
interactive activities such as role playing or even peer interactions can socially support students.
participants reported that public speaking workshops can be beneficial in terms of offering practical
skills. However, 6of students noted a very important idea which is language immersion experience

33
creating real life practice. Additionally, Schools and educational institutions can enhance students
speaking abilities and help them to reduce anxiety through many deeds as students suggested beyond
the classroom first, 3 out of (26 students who answered this question ) tried to bring the Idea of
establishing extracurricular language clubs where they can work collaboratively,12 of participants
agreed to be involved in organizing language exchange programs much better, finally the other 7
students try talk about peer tutoring initiatives as a significant step and to utilize digital language
learning platforms.
• What do you believe can help students overcome their fear of speaking in
front of others?

Again, students gave a wide range of unique responses, some emphasizing the importance of
many steps to reduce speaking anxiety.11 students noted that we can overcome this issue through
providing positive feedback that enhances their confidence and self-esteem to speak even though they
feel that they are making mistakes. 9 participants others suggested that identifying anxious students
and tolerating their mistakes can be beneficial to help them aware that speaking anxiety is a normal
situation that may teacher still have. The other 20 students they talk about three major ideas .firstly,
they said that Supporting anxious students and insisting on their participation can work to alleviate
anxiety or through lowering the affective filter and building good rapport with those students who feel
anxious by Sharing experiences with them, Allowing them to try to deliver a short speech about
something they know well (their pet, themselves for example), Praising the ones who tried and
delivered a speech.
• Do you want to add something?

The majority of students didn’t have something to add to this topic but one of the students said
a teacher told her that she needs to remember that public speaking anxiety is common, and it often
improves with experience. He asked to be patient and take gradual steps to build her confidence.

4.8. Comparison between focus group and student interviews

Both the focus group and individual student interviews provided significant insights into the
speaking anxiety factors among Moroccan high school students, especially, targeted those in Beni
Mellal region. Through thematic analysis of the data, we come up with various themes, particularly on
the challenges students face in their study journey. Regarding of speaking anxiety factors, both the
focus group and individual interviews shared common concerns such as lack of preparation, fear of
being less competent, fear of being the focus of attention, and lack of vocabulary. Additionally, using
34
both data collection methods revealed students' perspectives and ideas on how limited exposure to
English-speaking environments impacts high school students confidence and proficiency. Students
expressed through the interview and focus group a need for more opportunities and space where
speaking English in practiced in a structured setting. When it comes to providing solutions for reducing
speaking anxiety, the findings from both the focus group and individual interviews were emphasized
that Students have different preference for opportunities, such as being in a guided discussions, as well
as activities that hold interactive purposes like role-playing and peer interactions. Moreover, students
suggested other ways to practice English outside schools and educational institutions beyond the
classroom.

Overall, although we come up with some differences in the emphasis and varying opinions and
perspectives between the focus group and individual interviews, data collection methods
interchangeably yielded complementary insights into the complex issue of speaking anxiety among
Moroccan high school students. By triangulating these findings, researchers can gain a more
comprehensive understanding of the phenomenon and develop targeted interventions to support
students in improving their English speaking skills and confidence.

4.9. Thematic Analysis of the Teacher Interview Responses

The third phase of the data analysis process focused on the qualitative thematic analysis of
interviews conducted with 15 high school teachers of English and other majors. These educators
provided their insights and perspectives on the contributing factors of speaking anxiety among high
school students and shared their experiences with students who have gone through this issue. The
depth and richness of the qualitative data added a layer of nuance to the overall research that was not
entirely accessible through the focus group and student’s interviews analysis. Moreover, the
opportunity to explore teachers' lived experiences offered invaluable contextual information that
underpins the findings, thus providing a more comprehensive understanding of the research subject.

A thematic analysis approach was employed to scrutinize the interview responses. Each
teacher's interview was analyzed carefully, and significant responses that look for providing valuable
insights through their own experiences in their class with students who suffered from speaking
anxiety, their strategies that were utilized to deal with certain issues, and their recommendations for
improving students’ ability to speak without being anxious in front of others were highlighted. These
marked statements were then grouped into different themes based on their commonalities, thus
35
creating a thematic map that depicted the patterns and trends within the data. Once the themes were
identified, they were then thoroughly examined, compared, and interpreted in light of the existing
literature. This rigorous process of thematic analysis facilitated a deep dive into the subjective
experiences of the teachers, offering a detailed exploration of their perspectives, concerns, and
recommendations. The resulting analysis paints a vivid picture of how can we handle anxiety among
high school students and to help them to be capable to speak freely, offering valuable insights for
educational stakeholders.

• What is your understanding of speaking anxiety?

Almost all teachers had demonstrated that speaking anxiety is a kind of feeling of
uneasiness that can affect learners or students emotions in a negative way and can lower people’s
self-confidence and self-esteem badly where they have to speak and communicate in front of others.
Teacher 1, 6 and 12 had stated the same characteristics of their definition of speaking anxiety since
they talked about the symptoms of student’s anxiety. Participant 1 had reported: «speaking anxiety
can result in physical reactions, such as students get body shaking or voice or even their faces get
blushed while they speak." Teacher 6 shared similar sentiments: "speaking anxiety is a feeling
where students feel nervous and embarrassed about meeting and speaking in front of others."
Teacher 5, 7, 11 had stated almost the same elements of the answer .Educator 11 admitted: I believe
that speaking anxiety is a fear first of a basement and lack of confidence and preparation. Students
are afraid of being criticized by their peers where their performance is low scared by the fear of
making mistakes and failure." And Teacher 8 had expressed: "students’ inability to use language
to express their ideas in a sufficient way. Maybe they stop speaking since they lack enough
vocabulary and expressions. But another teacher try enrich us through arguing that individuals who
experience speaking can be detected from various aspects .for example mood aspect or even
cognitive aspect where students thinking is disrupted and their thoughts are not organized resulting
in self-doubt .

. Collectively, teachers underscored the definition of speaking anxiety as feeling that may
impact students’ uneasiness emotions, confidence, and self-esteem to express themselves listing
various symptoms of how anxious students feel.

36
4.10. Contributing factors of students speaking anxiety in class

Theme 1: Fear of Negative Responses from Others and being evaluated by teachers

Regarding speaking anxiety's impact on high school students, all teachers recognized its
significant influence. Teacher 1 remarked: "students’ fear of negative responses from others considered
as one of the primary sources of anxiety since they can be an object of mocking once they try to speak
and communicate in front of their friends or educators either inside or outside the classroom. Students
get anxious due to the bad atmosphere." Teacher 4 confirmed: "it is one of the causes that hinder
students’ ability to speak English .owing to mockery, students are not capable to speak. This kind of
teasing made them anxious and decreased their motivation to communicate freely." Teacher 7
highlighted the causes of such fear of negative responses: "such fear can be caused due to the lack of
preparation and possibility of teachers’ evaluation. Teacher 4 brought attention to teachers’ evaluation
reporting that: students are scared to make mistakes while they speak thinking that teachers have
perfection in English.so they are afraid to be evaluated.

Theme 2 Low Self-Esteem, Cultural Influences (Teacher-Centered Style)

In this scope, teachers came up with two common subthemes emphasizing self-esteem and
cultural influences especially due to a more teacher centered approach. Teacher 4 underlined:
students who speak English were seen as they showing off in front of their friends and classmates
for them to initiate speaking was still regarded as a pretending to be superior. Therefore, this negative
association make students demotivate to communicate and let students feel a they have a low self-
esteem. He brought a student’s answer stating: When I try to speak English I feel overacted by my
classmates. So, I had better not speak at all. Teacher 2 saw that the culture of teacher centered
approach especially in Moroccan context may impact students badly .she clearly admitted: teacher
dominance in classroom and not letting students take the responsibility of their learning can
demotivate them to initiate speaking particularly if there is an absence of stimulus from the teacher,
they would prefer to keep being silent in class.

37
Theme 3: Lack of vocabulary, preparation, practice, English proficiency, Unfamiliar
Speaking Topics

Each teacher articulated unique response based on their own experiences and perspectives,
largely shaped by years of observing high school students.

Teacher 1 voiced concerns over some students' lack of vocabulary, possibly since speaking
ability cannot be conveyed without words regulated through grammar rules. «Students speaking
anxiety can be experienced by students who have limited knowledge of vocabulary. They feel afraid
and shy to share what they tent to convey," they commented. Therefore, even though students may
possess great ideas in minds but their lack of vocabulary may hinder their skill to bring them in
reality.

Teacher 2 indicated challenges related to students' preparation and practice, suggesting that
lack of preparation and practice might cause limitation in speaking students’ abilities. They stated:
"good preparation means good results and may increase self-esteem and confidence the better
preparation students have, the more students feel confident to speak" However, they saw practice
and preparation can play crucial role enhancing students personality to express themselves .
Teacher 3 had echoed similar answers, but with a different emphasis. They had pointed out
challenges associated with proficiency confirming its role either to increase or decrease students
anxiety. "Students low proficiency may lead them to be nervous and not able to speak English,
therefore, students may feel afraid to speak due to low speaking skills. »
Teacher 4, meanwhile, had highlighted another significant factor. They had suggested: "the
better students understand clearly what they are going to talk about and consider the topic is
meaningful the less they are going to make mistakes. If they get lost while speaking they can recover
quickly due the familiarity of the topic».

These responses show that while each teacher had various perspectives base on their own
experiences in their classes .they also saw significant factors that impact students speaking anxiety
among high school students such as fear from negative responses, cultural influences , low self-
esteem and issues related to lack of vocabulary, preparation and English proficiency. They
illustrated overcoming these obstacles needs a supportive and inclusive environment where
language skills difficulties are addressed to be solved through instruction and practice.
38
 • Could you share some effective strategies you employ in the classroom to encourage
student Participation and overcome speaking anxiety?
• What specific support or guidance do you believe teachers can offer to help students
overcome speaking anxiety?

Theme 1 Fostering student participation through effective strategies and support mechanisms

During the interviews, the majority of teachers expressed their thoughts about the strategies
to make students active and reduce their speaking anxiety. They highlighted various strategies .3
out13 suggested relaxation as an effective technique. A participant stated: calmness is needed
especially when students try to speak English and can be done through taking a deep breath and
exhale. May be through using their hands, holding something or looking at thing around them can
be very effective strategies to calm students and not to get them nervous.
Furthermore, 6 out 13 participants noted peer seeking can work for high school students by
asking support from their peers to collaborate where they share with other students or classmates
same problem .

In fact, Participant 6 reported: for example, students may act in front of their friends and
classmates thus, peer support turns to be beneficial and very helpful where students do not laugh,
and showing the morals and discipline, then the performer feels that he is confident and he can act
well.
Also, 3 highlighted Taking part in as Many Speaking Activities as Possible. He argues that
students need to cope with their anxiety problem by engaging and being active in as many speaking
Activities as possible, either inside or outside of the educational context. High school students are
required to expose themselves to many activities so that they get many opportunities to improve
their speaking and to reduce anxiety.
2 others added:
“Preparation may help students to increase their confidence. For example, students should
prepare what they are going to lean the next day. With this they are not going to feel nervous when
they speak in front of the class because they are making sure that they are well prepared. In
39
 addition to re-learning their courses, other ways students can do preparation in different forms
such as taking courses or asking for interpretation from educators or friend’s .It can be concluded
that the more students get prepared the better performance they get”

Theme 2 guidance of teachers

The second question addresses teachers guidance to students, almost all teachers have
brainstormed several techniques .firstly, a supportive and inclusive environment where students feel
comfortable to share and express themselves. Secondly, 2 out 7 stated the necessity to provide
constructive feedback. Additionally, teachers needs to explain to students what is anxiety and
normalize anxiety another technique which is mentioned is setting measurable goals, or through
sharing stories of successful speakers who suffered from anxiety in their beginnings, and
recommending professional assistance and help if necessary. These valuable responses underscore
the multifaceted approach educators utilize to help students overcome speaking anxiety effectively.

• How do you tailor your teaching approach to accommodate students with

varying levels of speaking anxiety or confidence in the classroom?

When asked about how teachers adapt their teaching methods for students with differing
levels of speaking anxiety or confidence, several key strategies emerged. Firstly, the majority
(62.67%) advocated the significance for creating a supportive and inclusive atmosphere where
everyone feels safe to engage in class. This involves creating good rapport among high school
students and trying to encourage them to be involved in open communication.

Secondly, many teachers also provided unique, individual responses. Several suggestions
revolved around employing a variety of instructional techniques to accommodate diverse learning
preferences and anxiety levels. Two teachers suggest that for students with higher levels of anxiety,
educators often start their lessons with smaller, low-pressure speaking tasks like pair or small group
discussions before moving to something complex. This gradual exposure transition from easy to
hard may help build confidence over time.

Furthermore, teachers put the emphasis on the importance of providing feedback tailored to
what individual students need. This can be done through offering additional practice opportunities
so as to get good results or through providing constructive criticism. Additionally, most teachers
highlighted the importance of being flexible in their teaching approach. They are trying to adjust
40
lesson plans and tasks to accommodate students' preferences and comfort levels .therefore, using
such strategies can ensure that students have a practice opportunity to be successful.
Overall, the analysis of the 13 teachers’ responses underlined student-centered approach to
teaching, with an emphasis on providing a safe educational environment where all students feel
comfortable to participate without being nervous at all.

• To what extent are teachers aware of Speaking Anxiety?

Referring to the participants’ responses, it was evident that Teachers’ views as to whether
they are aware of speaking anxiety exists in their classrooms were significantly varied. Out of the
13 educator who participate, only 9 were aware of this issue and admitted that some high school
students’ learners might suffer from speaking anxiety. One teacher reported clearly, «in my
classroom, I’ve noticed that some students feel anxious and nervous while they are struggling to
speak class activities." Another participant stated also, "It's obvious that the feeling of being anxious
can be an obstacle to students' language improvements." Through the analysis of their responses,
teachers showed a deeper understanding of the issue and what students may struggle in their learning
experiences.

Conversely, the majority of teachers, totaling 9, they reported that there no such thing called
speaking anxiety, it is a mental health concern and psychological challenge to individuals. One
participant mentioned, "I haven’t come across with any signs of speaking anxiety among my
students since the comforting atmosphere I always trying to create to my students." Another teacher
admitted, "Students are required to learn how to handle their own feeling of anxiety; it's not
something that teacher are responsible to fix or control." These responses indicate some teachers
are not acknowledging that speaking anxiety can be a possible issue in the classroom.
Eventually, while some educators were aware of speaking anxiety as a potential issue that
students can struggle with, others appeared to overlook and underestimate the presence of this issue
among high school students. This variety of answers underscores that the educational system in
morocco needs professional development and support to make sure that all educators are capable to
address speaking anxiety issues effectively in their classrooms.

• Is there anything else you would like to add or emphasize regarding speaking anxiety in the
classroom?
41
 Theme 1: Recommendations

Teachers provided a range of recommendations to address the significance impacts of

negative self-talk and fear of mistakes on high school students' speaking anxiety. They stressed the
crucial role of promoting and creating a supportive and inclusive environment to mitigate students’
anxiety and enhance their confidence in speaking skills.

Teacher 1 highlighted that Negative self-talk and fear of making mistakes can contribute to
student´s speaking anxiety. Encouraging a growth mindset and providing a supportive environment
for practice and feedback can help alleviate these concerns and boost student´s confidence in their
oral communication skills.

Teacher 2 had a clear recommendation in terms of ensuring that Teachers must not forget
class management while trying to establish the free anxiety environment. Some students might take
it wrong and think that misbehaving is also tolerated. Therefore, teachers must make it clear that
any inappropriate behavior will be accounted for and should maintain control.

Teacher 3 had admitted that Teachers for sure play a pivotal role in helping students to
overcome the speaking-anxiety. Thus, every teacher should be concerned with teaching his students
stress management skills, social skills, self-confidence, and the importance of getting rid of this
bad habit before it's too late.

Teachers' recommendations emphasize the significant role of addressing speaking anxiety

in the classroom. They highly underscore the impact of speaking anxiety on students' confidence
in speaking skills.

4.11. Comparison between students and teachers interviews findings

After carefully reading through the respondents’ answers, the comparison between findings
from the interviews of both students and teachers regarding the topic of speaking anxiety among
Moroccan high school students has led to the emergence of different commonalities and
distinctions of responses. Through students’ analysis of their findings, we came up to know that
Students define speaking anxiety as a kind of feeling of nervousness while speaking in front of
teachers and students, while teachers emphasize on its emotional and physiological effects of
anxiety on students. Both groups identify some factors like fear of negative responses and lack of
42
vocabulary as sources to anxiety, though teachers also highlight significant idea which is the role
of teacher-centered approach classroom cultures. The presented Strategies and techniques to reduce
anxiety, such as peer support and speaking opportunities, are highly addressed students and
teachers talking , even though educators provide more explanation and detailed valuable insights
into tailored teaching approaches that can be effective to use in terms of alleviating students anxiety
and promote confidence. However, we concluded with important conclusion which is about
discrepancies in awareness levels among teachers, with some of them denying the important and
existence of speaking anxiety. To sum up, while both groups offer valuable perspectives from
different background, cooperation among students and educators is essential for ensuring that
everyone is aware of speaking anxiety in educational contexts.

43
 Section 4 : Discussion

The discussion section of this monograph seeks to unpack the significance of the qualitative
study has been lunched for the aim of discovering the main factors that affect speaking anxiety
among high school students in the Moroccan context. The objectives that guide this research were
to determine the sources contributing to speaking anxiety among students in Beni Mellal Region
and how to account for them. Throughout the findings of the interviews and focus group
procedures, it is proof to say that there are several factors that come together to hamper students’
performance of English in terms of speaking. This is concerned with preparedness, perceived
competence, the lack of speaking opportunities, Fear of Being Evaluated, and Lack of vocabulary
which is the major cause of this feeling anxiety in speaking.

Several studies go in line with the fact that preparedness leads students to feel anxious while
speaking in the class. For instance, in their investigation named Classroom Participation and
Preparedness: the Fear of Negative Evaluation, Fraenkel and Wallen (2012) argue that feeling
anxious is a normal outcome of being unprepared. In addition to this, another study held in Japan
concluded that lack of preparation for speaking tasks, such as presentations or discussions
significantly increase anxiety levels among students. Those who felt unprepared were more likely
to experience anxiety when required to speak in class (Horwitz, 1986). One final study was carried
in Souadi Arabia by Alkhateeb and Alhaisoni (2014). Their study, Investigating Foreign Language
Anxiety in Saudi EFL Students, focuses on English as a Foreign Language for students in Saudi
Arabia. It identifies preparedness as a key factor influencing students' anxiety levels during
speaking tasks. Students who felt unready for speaking activities reported higher levels of anxiety
compared to those who felt well-prepared.

Similarly, one interesting finding of the factors that turn students experience anxiety in
speaking is perceived competence. Most students tend self-evaluate their abilities and skills from
the inside. This is a key factor that makes them less interactive and more anxious to speak. It puts
them in a situation can best be described as face threatening act (Brown & Levinson, 1987). That
is, to put the speaker’s face in a situation that may touch him negatively. According to the article
Perceived Competence and Public Speaking Anxiety (McCroskey & Richmond, 1992), individuals
who doubted their competence in public speaking such as being afraid of making mistakes or
appearing less competent in front of others marked higher levels of anxiety in speaking. The fear
of being perceived as incompetent contributed significantly to speaking anxiety. What confirms
44
this perspective is the study initiated by Titsworth & O'Neil (2001) titled Self-Perceived
Communication Competence and Communication Apprehension. It found that individuals who
perceived themselves as less competent communicators were more likely to experience higher
levels of communication apprehension, especially in speaking situations where they felt their
competence might be judged by others.

Another interesting finding about factors that cause anxiety in speaking is the lack of
speaking opportunities. Most students complain that their teachers do not provide them with enough
speaking opportunities. This issue prevents them from practicing their English well. Without
practice and enough expose to language, students lose their ability to speak freely without
complications (Nakane, 2011). This idea is widely admitted by a good number of teachers in the
interview; however, they contend that it is out of their ranger, sometimes, for the reason that the
time allotted for session is enough only to fulfill the syllabus. Studies have significantly marked the
importance of giving chance to students to speak. An instance of these can be Anxiety in Oral
English Examinations by Phillips (1992). It investigates anxiety levels in oral English examinations
among secondary school students. The study revealed that students who had few opportunities to
practice speaking English outside the classroom, either due to limited exposure to English-speaking
environments or lack of speaking activities in the curriculum, exhibited higher levels of anxiety
during oral exams. A study by MacIntyre & Gardner of the topic Speaking Anxiety in Language
Learning: A Review of the Literature ( 1989) examines various factors influencing speaking anxiety
in language learning contexts. It found that limited speaking opportunities in the classroom, such as
insufficient time given for speaking activities or lack of encouragement from teachers to participate
actively, were associated with higher levels of speaking anxiety among students.

The most interesting finding that is significantly marked by many students in the interview
is the one related to vocabulary gap. Difficulty in finding words guides students to struggle to
choose the right words to express their thoughts and ideas. This difficulty can lead to hesitation and
anxiety during speaking tasks, as students fear they will be unable to communicate themselves
sucessfully (Laufer and Nation, 1995). The study under the name of Vocabulary Size, Background
Knowledge, and Passage Comprehension of Skilled and Less-Skilled Readers (Stanovich &
Cunningham, 1992) sheds light on the relationship between vocabulary size and reading
comprehension among skilled and less-skilled readers. It found that students with larger
vocabularies demonstrated higher levels of comprehension and confidence in speaking tasks, while
those with small vocabularies experienced greater difficulty and anxiety when they attemp to
45
express themselves orally. A further discussion is held by Nation (1983) on the theme of The
Effects of Vocabulary Size on Recognition Speed. He investigates the impact of vocabulary bank
on reading and listening comprehension. The study figured out that students with good vocabulary
bank find it extremely easy to recognize and understand words and patterns more quickly, leading
to confidence in speaking. On contrary, students with smaller vocabularies struggled with word
recognition and comprehension, which contributed to anxiety about speaking in class.

All the factors mention above have been considerably proved, by investigation, to influence
speaking anxiety in students in the class. In order to address these factors, there are several solution
suggested by both teachers and students. First of all, we can start with preparedness. Before giving
a speech, teachers are required to give abandon time for their students to prepare beforehand. This
gives them chance to reflect on what they are going to say, and, thus, feel less inhibited to speak.
The second solution is associated with perceived competence. Teachers can work to motivate
students and make them aware that they need to take risks in order to learn; that is, to get out of
their zone comfort. What is more, they may offer their learners differentiate Instruction to
recognize and accommodate students' diverse learning needs and abilities. It helps students to build
confidence and rectify the areas of weaknesses in them, hence, feel motivated to speak with
complications. Likewise, providing a supportive and conducive environment helps students to
alleviate anxiety in students while speaking. they appreciate when they are given chances to speak
in free anxiety-environment especially with the help of teachers who provide them with necessary
assistance and constructive feedback, which does not put them into face threatening act (Goffma,
1956). Finally, a major source of anxiety in speaking according to the findings is lack of
vocabulary. There several ways to deal with this issue. Among of which is to help students develop
a repertoire of vocabulary. This can be done through more focus attentions drawn on this
component. Teachers may devote a great time of the session to design activities that introduce
vocabulary items in context or in authentic situations. Through continuous exposure, student will
pick up the items unconsciously and even effortlessly.

46
 Section 5: Conclusion

In bringing this research to its culmination, it is vital to acknowledge the intricate complexity and
rich diversity of the research study that has a significant place in literature because it tries to stand on the
main factors contributing to make students anxious while speaking in English in the class. This is
particularly concerned with the context of Beni Mellal from which a sample of students and teachers has
been selected for the interview and focused group. The interview contained 40 students and 15 teachers
and the focused group was composed of 20 students. Through the analysis of discussion of the data
gathered, investigation concluded that factors such as perceived competence, preparedness, lack of
opportunities, and shortage of vocabulary are the chief factors that constrains anxiety in speaking for
students. At the end, it is noted that teachers have a very important role, in primarily place, as they should
take the initiation and stand by the side of students to help them overcome anxiety while speaking in the
class. This is for the reason that most of students spend their lives within the class walls with their teachers’
accompaniment. This means that teachers, to a far consideration, know students’ needs, weakness and
fears. In this way, they have a necessary key that work for the benefits of students.

4.1. Limitations

Understandably, every research endeavor has inherent limitations that should be taken into
consideration when interpreting its results. These limitations are not intended to discount the study's value,
but rather to provide a comprehensive understanding of the context in which the study was conducted and
to identify areas for future research improvement. This research is no exception. Several factors,
particularly related to the study design, participant selection, and data collection and analysis, need to be
duly noted.

The initial limitation lies within the reliance on self-reported data collected via a focus group and
interviews. The nature of this type of data introduces a potential for certain biases. Students' perceptions
and interpretations shaped their responses, leaving room for potential inaccuracies. Some participants may
not have been entirely forthright, perhaps responding in a manner they believed to be socially acceptable,
or potentially misinterpreting some questions, raising questions about the objective measurement of this
important aspect.

The sample selection poses another limitation. Participants were selected from different high
47
schools only in Beni Mellal region, which could constrain the broader applicability of the results. The
unique context of these institutions may not accurately reflect the experiences and viewpoints of students
across other Moroccan high schools or different educational levels. Additionally, the sample size, while
sufficient for the purpose of this study, was relatively small. This could potentially impact the reliability
and validity of the results, raising questions about the extent to which these findings can be confidently
generalized.

In the process of conducting this research, several constraints and obstacles were
Encountered. First is the time constraint. There was not enough time to conduct the interviews in
order to have a deeper and more general result about the research problem, which concerned the
appropriate techniques and timing for correcting oral errors. Second, students did not take interview that
serious. As a result, there were some answers which were irrelevant. Third, the sample which is meant to
respond to the interview were very often reluctant to give answers because some teachers did not want to
respond to it at all.
The qualitative component of the study, which involved interviews with a small group of teachers,
presents its own unique limitations. The insights obtained, while rich and informative, are derived from a
small sample size of only 13 teachers, which limits the breadth of perspectives represented and makes it
difficult to generalize these insights beyond this specific group. Also, the interpretation of qualitative data
inherently includes an element of subjectivity, which could potentially lead to bias in data interpretation.

Lastly, the practical constraints of the study merit acknowledgement. Limited access to resources
and time constraints imposed some limitations on the research. The data analysis techniques used were
dictated more by these constraints than by preference. Similarly, due to the time constraints, the review of
literature was focused primarily on information directly relevant to the research.

Despite these limitations, the use of qualitative methods, employing focus group and interviews,
in this study offers a holistic view into the perceptions of Moroccan high students and teachers about the
contributing factors of speaking anxiety. The limitations identified in this study provide a roadmap for
future research, suggesting areas where methodological improvements could lead to even more meticulous
and comprehensive findings

48
5.2 Recommendation

The preceding sections have provided a detailed exploration of the research process, presented the
findings, and identified inherent limitations of the current study. Building on these insights, this section
outlines recommendations for future research. These recommendations aim to address the limitations
encountered and suggest pathways for further exploration of the intricate relation between speaking skills
and the impact of anxiety. While firmly rooted in the findings and experiences of this study, these
recommendations propose innovative methodologies that may further enhance our understanding of this
complex field.

Firstly, broadening the scope of the study to include more diverse participant demographics could
significantly enhance the generalizability of the findings. Incorporating students from different regions,
high schools, and educational levels within Morocco, and perhaps even from other countries, would allow
researchers to capture a more holistic picture of experiences and viewpoints. Such an expanded study could
identify potential regional or socio-educational variations in perceptions of English language speaking
anxiety.

Secondly, regarding to recommendations which can be beneficial in this context to decrease the
level anxiety, it is crucial to address factors that cause it. Such factors include preparedness, opportunities
for speaking, perceived competence, and lack of vocabulary. Firstly, fostering a supportive learning
environment in which students feel prepared for speaking tasks is essential. Educators can provide clear
scaffold, guidance, and resources to help students prepare effectively. Additionally, incorporating frequent
speaking opportunities into the syllabus enables students to practice and gain confidence in their oral
communication skills. Moreover, working students' perceived competence through positive reinforcement,
constructive feedback, and encouragement can help upgrade their self-confidence and reduce anxiety about
speaking. What is more, addressing vocabulary limitations by offering activities to build vocabulary,
resources, and strategies can turn students to express themselves more fluently and confidently. By
addressing these factors comprehensively, educators can create a conducive learning environment that
supports students in overcoming speaking anxiety and developing effective communication skills.

These recommendations for future research, while not exhaustive, highlight the potential to delve
deeper into this complex and fascinating topic. Despite the limitations of the present study, its contributions
49
to understanding the interplay between English language speaking skills and anxiety addressing the factors
that impact student ability to express themselves rather than being anxious while trying to speak are
substantial and set the stage for further, more comprehensive explorations in the future.

50
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 APPENDICES

Appendix 1: The English Version of the Students and teachers interviews

Exploring the factors of speaking anxiety in English among high school students in
Beni Mellal: four high schools in beni Mellal as Case study

The Higher School of Education and Training Beni Mellal Sultan Moulay Slimane University

Objectives of interviews

Interview survey

Dear teachers and students,

I am a third year student in the Higher School of Education and Training "ENS" and a future teacher of
English. I am currently conducting a research study for the requirements of the B.A degree in education-
English Option. The objective of this study is to explore the contributing factors that affect speaking
anxiety among high school students. This is why I am reaching out to you. Your valuable answers and
experiences as EFL teachers will provide me with a better understanding of what affects speaking anxiety.
Your participation will be valuable to my research and will contribute to the advancement of knowledge
in the field of language education in our country. Any information you provide will be kept strictly
anonymous and confident.

I. Teachers interview

1. English version

• What is your understanding of speaking anxiety?

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………

• What factors contribute to students feeling afraid to speak in your class?

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………
54
• Could you share some effective strategies you employ in the classroom to encourage student
Participation and overcome speaking anxiety?
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………

• How do you tailor your teaching approach to accommodate students with varying levels of
speaking anxiety or confidence in the classroom?
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………

• What specific support or guidance do you believe teachers can offer to help students overcome
speaking anxiety?
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………

• Can you recount any instances where students made significant progress in overcoming their fear
of speaking English? What do you think were the key factors contributing to their success?

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………

• Is there anything else you would like to add or emphasize regarding speaking anxiety in the
classroom?

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………

55
2. Arabic version

II. Students interview

1. Arabic version

56
 2. English version

• When you think about speaking anxiety, what kinds of feelings or experiences come to mind?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………

• How would you describe speaking anxiety in your own words?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………

• What do you think makes some students nervous about speaking in class?
57
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………

• What do you believe can help students overcome their fear of speaking in front of others?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………

• Does your teacher give you opportunities to practice speaking during class?
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………

• Do you think the fear of making mistakes affects how willing students are to speak English? If so,
what can be done to help students feel more confident?
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………

• How do you think not being exposed to English-speaking environments outside of school affects
your confidence and ability to speak English well?
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………

• Can you recall a time when you couldn't communicate in English because you didn't know the right
words? How do you think not knowing enough vocabulary affects your ability to communicate
58
effectively, especially in social or academic situations?
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………

• Do you ever feel nervous about speaking English because you don't have enough chances to
practice speaking? If so, how does this lack of practice affect you?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………

• Have you found any classroom activities or techniques that made you feel more comfortable
speaking English? If yes, can you describe what they were and why they worked for you?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………

• How do you think schools can offer more opportunities for students to practice speaking English
outside of regular class time?
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• Do you want to add something?

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