Abstract

Speaking anxiety, a common form of foreign language anxiety marked by stress and apprehension in oral communication, can significantly hinder students’ performance in English language learning. This concept paper proposes to examine speaking anxiety among bachelor’s degree students at a higher learning institution in Selangor. The objectives are to identify students’ speaking anxiety levels, investigate the contributing factors, and determine whether gender differences influence students’ perceptions of English language learning. The paper seeks to explore the use of a quantitative approach using a questionnaire adapted from the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) by Horwitz and Cope (1986). Data will be collected from undergraduate students across selected faculties in the respective higher learning institution and analysed through descriptive statistics. It suggests that students’ speaking anxiety in ESL classrooms, with fear of negative evaluation, is the most significant contributing factor. This paper also aims to investigate female students speaking anxiety which are slightly higher anxiety levels than their male counterparts according to existing previous research. The outcomes are expected to contribute to a deeper understanding of speaking anxiety in Malaysian higher education and provide valuable insights for developing strategies to support students in overcoming this challenge and enhancing their English communicative competence.