Oral Communication Strategies Used by Iranian EFL Learners and their Relationship with the Learners' Self-efficacy Beliefs and Anxiety Level

Servat Shirkhani, Effat Alsadat Mir Mohammad Meigouni
2019 Research in English Language Pedagogy  
This study examined the oral communication strategies (OCS) employed by Iranian intermediate English as a foreign language (EFL) learners and the relationship between the use of these strategies and the learners' self-efficacy beliefs and anxiety level. To this end, 160 participants were selected through convenience sampling. Next, three questionnaires were employed to determine the strategies the participants employ for coping with speaking and listening problems, their anxiety level, and
more » ... general self-efficacy. The results indicated that the most and the least frequently used strategies were "accuracy-oriented" and "massage abandonment" strategies when facing speaking problems and "word-oriented" and "fluency-oriented" strategies when confronting speaking problems. In addition, the results showed a significant positive relationship between OCSs and self-efficacy beliefs of the learners and a significant negative relationship between OCSs and their anxiety level. The findings imply that OCSs are helpful in both increasing EFL learners' self-efficacy beliefs and reducing their anxiety level. Further implications of the results are discussed in the study.
doi:10.30486/relp.2019.669075 doaj:7473e3a890e4450693251960dce6d52a fatcat:5t37o3757rbp7d6kx6hn7g27ry