Investigating the Effects of Self-Confidence on Students’ Speaking Performance

Abstract

The objective of the present research is to investigate the correlation between self-confidence and students’ speaking performance at the Department of letters and English language at the University of Guelma. Students of English are facing problems that affect their speaking skill; the lack of self-confidence is one of them. Thus, we hypothesize that if students have high level of self-confidence their oral performance would increase. To test this hypothesis, a qualitative (descriptive) research has been conducted. Group of first year students LMD has constituted our sample. A questionnaire has been conducted to both teachers and students to gather data about students’ self-confidence and speaking performance. Based on the questionnaires’ results, our hypothesis was confirmed that self-confidence has a great impact on students’ oral performance; having a high level of confidence may lead to better oral performance. Thus, we recommend the implementation of public speaking techniques as successful tools for enhancing learners’ self-confidence, as well as; teachers' role in improving learners’ speaking skill.