Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to assess the speaking anxiety of second year EFL college learners and the strategies for improvement at Begemidir College of Teachers’ Education in Ethiopia. The study used descriptive survey design that involved quantitative method. The data were collected through questionnaire. One hundred-twenty students’ participants were certain through comprehensive sampling for questionnaire. The study revealed that students had extremely negative experiences with speaking activities in a foreign language classroom. English speaking anxiety was a big problem of college English language learners. Learners believed that they could not perform in English and consequently form negative expectations which in turn lead to decreased effort and the avoidance of opportunities to enhance their communication skills.

Key words: EFL; EFL learners; FLCAS; Improvement; Speaking Anxiety; Strategy