Oral Communication Apprehension Among Libyan EFL University Students: A Correlational Study of Proficiency and Communication Contexts

Abstract

This study aimed to examine the level of Oral Communication Apprehension (OCA) experienced by English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners. Seventy undergraduate students from the Department of English Language at the University of Derna participated in the study. A structured questionnaire was administered and analysed using SPSS software. Descriptive statistics were used to summarise participants’ levels of OCA, while Pearson correlation analysis was employed to examine the relationship between English language proficiency and speaking-related anxiety. Participants were asked to report their experiences of OCA across a range of communicative contexts, including group discussions, meetings, interactions with peers, and public speaking. The results indicate that EFL learners in this study experience a relatively high level of oral communication apprehension across all the examined contexts. Furthermore, the findings reveal a statistically significant negative correlation between English language proficiency and speaking anxiety, indicating that higher levels of proficiency are associated with lower levels of communication apprehension. These results suggest that learners’ anxiety in speaking English is largely associated with limited linguistic competence rather than solely psychological factors. In other words, insufficient language proficiency appears to be a key contributor to communication apprehension in this context. Based on these findings, it is essential to focus not only on developing learners’ linguistic competence but also on addressing affective barriers such as fear of speaking to enhance overall oral communicative competence.