ENGLISH SPEAKING ANXIETY IN EFL UNIVERSITY CLASSROOMS IN TAIWAN

The present study focuses on the relation between English speaking anxiety and factors among Taiwanese university English and non-English majors. A total of 658 volunteer student participants from eight different universities in southern Taiwan were recruited for this study. This research aims to investigate the factors causing EFL English speaking anxiety. A mixed-method approach was used for data collection. The results indicate that learners are extremely concerned about the accuracy of their grammar usage, their lack of vocabulary knowledge, correct pronunciation, and wanting their meaning to be understood. For the gender-related issue, female learners experience more English speaking anxiety than male students. Additionally, non-English majors have more English speaking apprehension than English majors. In a similar vein, comparing the years of English learning, students who studied more years of English are less worried about speaking English in the classroom. This article concludes with some pedagogical implications for English instructors who wish to reduce speaking anxiety, particularly in Taiwanese EFL classrooms.