The Effect of low Sel-esteem on Students' oral performance

Abstract

Through this descriptive research, we have aimed at making a connection between the affective factor « low self-esteem » and the productive skill « speaking skill »; i.e. to determine the effect of low self-esteem on students’ oral performance. To fulfill our investigation, we have opted for the use of written questionnaires for both students and teachers; therefore, we have selected a sample of first year EFL students and their teachers of oral expression. The use of such procedures allows us to gather the information we need about students’ self-esteem and the problems they face in oral expression sessions. The findings of this research indicate that first year EFL students suffer from low self-esteem, a fact which hinders their oral performance in class. The results reveal that first year EFL students do not only suffer from low self-esteem but also from a lack in the target language proficiency. Accordingly, we have suggested some strategies that can help students to overcome their negative feelings in order to take control over such problems that hamper their oral expression sessions.