Exploring the Causes and Factors of Speaking Anxiety of EFL Students: A Systematic Literature Review

Speaking is considered as the most challenging among the four English language skills. Anxiety comes when foreign language students speak in front of the class. This review examines how speaking anxiety affects the EFL students in their classes by analyzing 105 peer-reviewed articles published between 2021 and 2025 from the ERIC, JSTOR, and SAGE Journals databases. The findings revealed that EFL students’ level of speaking anxiety is high. The results mentioned that the causes of speaking anxiety among EFL students were classified into two: physical (uncomfortable environment in the classroom and unsuitable class type/size) and emotional (peer pressure/social-image anxiety, teachers’ correction and feedback, and lack of fluency in English) causes and the factors of speaking anxiety among EFL students were also classified into two: internal (fear of making mistakes, lack of self-confidence, lack of intrinsic motivation, shyness, nervousness, and fear of losing face) and external (lack of/limited English vocabulary, lack of English oral proficiency, lack of practice, and inaccurate use of grammar) factors. To address the causes and factors of students’ speaking anxiety, teachers are encouraged to revisit the syllabus, learning materials and assessments, teaching strategies and among others. Every institution should also focus on strengthening teachers’ training, improving speaking skills, and enhancing course quality, while students are inclined to build confidence and practice speaking English language inside and outside of school premises. In conclusion, speaking anxiety plays an essential role in English as a Foreign Language student, its reduction depends on careful planning, strong support systems, and flexible teaching strategies.