THE EFFECTIVENESS OF PROJECT WORK IN REDUCING EFL STUDENTS’ SPEAKING ANXIETY IN PAKISTANI CONTEXT

Abstract

The present study showcases the problems faced by EFL learners that affect their language learning ability and achievement. Social phobia breeds speaking anxiety that hinders learners’ communicational skills preventing them from learning the targeted language at their best. This study explores the causes of anxiety in language classrooms while measuring the efficacy of project works as an alternative solution. This study was founded on two research questions aiming to find out the solution to the problem. At first, how does the speaking anxiety trigger? Secondly, can these students benefit from project work in the language classrooms as a remedy to the said problem? For this purpose, 160 first-year female students of a public college in Karachi, Pakistan, were taken as the sample and were divided into two groups experimental and control randomly. The instruments employed to collect the data were a questionnaire (FLCAS) and speaking skill tests. The collected data was analyzed quantitatively through SPSS. The experimental group was taught by using project works. The control group was also taught the same material by the same researcher simultaneously through traditional method. The study highlights various factors that cause speaking anxiety in EFL learners. Moreover, project work facilitated students to overcome speaking anxiety stimulating them to use targeted language in the language classroom. The findings of the study disclosed that the experimental group exhibited improvements while participating in numerous speaking activities on various forums. Besides, discussing the usefulness of project work, this study sheds light on its consequences.