Reducing Efl Learners' Anxiety And Developing Their Speaking Abilities Throught The Use Of Simulation

Résumé: This study investigates the effectiveness of simulation inthe EFL oral classroom. We hypothesized that the use of simulation would decrease students' anxiety and improve their speaking abilities.To achieve the aim of this study, we adopted two means of research:a classroom observation and a questionnaire.We selected a group of 33 participants from first- year LMD students because they already participated in simulations, and as beginners speaking is believed to cause them a lot of anxiety.The findings of the classroom observation demonstrated that students succeed in diminishing their anxiety and overcomingtheir speaking weaknesses such as: hesitations and pauses, after a short time of the simulation's performance. The findings of the questionnaire showed that themain sources of the students' anxiety came from their fear of the negative evaluation, either by their teacher or by their peers, in addition to the lack of self-confidence and self-esteem. They also revealed thatthemajority of students agreed on the idea that simulations are effective in reducing their anxiety because it creates an enjoyable atmosphere where they may cooperate and exchange knowledge. Besides, they said that simulations helped in promoting their speaking abilities through enriching their vocabulary and correcting their pronunciation errors. On the basis of these results, we advise teachers of oral expression to create a positive atmosphere for students to act freely, we found that it will be better if they discuss the topics of the simulation with their students or give them the chance to select it by themselvesand not interrupt them with the feedback while performing.

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