Oral Interaction activities in the English as a Foreign Language Classroom:

Overcoming learners’ speaking inhibitions

Abstract

The state of anxiety that oral communication incites in English as a foreign language (EFL) student, can be considered to be one of the major factors in their reticence to speak using the target language. In a classroom where speaking activities are associated with anxiety and self-consciousness, it is necessary to understand how to combat these metaphorical adversaries of oral communication. In order to understand how to assist students in overcoming these inhibitions the question “How can peer oral interaction activities contribute to learners overcoming their speaking inhibitions?” was raised. The participants in this research project consisted of mixed-ability learners from Year 11 and Year 7 classes. These students participated in a series of spoken interaction activities wherein their behaviour and language skills were observed and analysed. The participants were then invited to answer questionnaires where their opinions on the activities, as well as language learning in general, were assessed. The resulting data indicates that students’ speaking inhibitions were at their lowest when their degree of comfort amongst their peers was at its highest.