Factors provoking FL anxiety of speaking English among the Yemeni students at the faculty of education in Hodeidah University

الملخص EN

Affective variables are one of the various variables that influence foreign language learning, and foreign language anxiety is among several outstanding factors that often have a debilitating effect on the oral performance of students learning English as a foreign language.

The present study investigates the level of anxiety among the Yemeni students in the Faculty of Education in Hodeidah University and the influence of gender by focusing on two main factors that cause anxiety.

The factors under investigation are lack of confidence and fear of making mistakes.

The instrument used for the study was adapted from Horwitz's (1986) Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) which includes 32 items.

The researcher modified some of the items included in (FLCAS) and reduced it to 12 items.

The developed questionnaire was given to 198 students in the four levels of the English Department at the Faculty of Education in Hodeidah University.

After analyzing the collected data, the findings indicated that foreign language speaking anxiety was very high among firstyear students and female students experienced high – level of anxiety whereas male students experienced a moderate level of anxiety.

This paper ends with some implications to assist teachers in encouraging speaking and strive for a pleasant atmosphere where students can feel comfortable and relaxed to communicate orally.