When Words Fail: A PRISMA-Guided Systematic Review of the Effects of Speaking Anxiety on Language Performance and Communicative Confidence

Abstract

Speaking anxiety is the fear and worry surrounding the act of speaking. Despite its widespread prevalence, there has been very little research into its effects across different populations, needs, and contexts. This paper presents a systematic literature review of studies on the effects of speaking anxiety among learners and educators, conducted in accordance with the PRISMA 2020 guidelines. To structure the literature review, the authors introduced parameters that the selected studies had to meet. A total of twenty-two studies were screened for inclusion and respected the parameters set out in the current study. The twelve studies, 11 of which were conducted in the Philippines, serve to confirm a large-scale relation between speaking anxiety and poor oral performance, memory retrieval, and physiological calmness, while in one instance the influence of speaking anxiety on written performance differs from debilitating to facilitative. The usual fears include apprehension about negative evaluation and lack of preparation. Numerous strategies serve as means of mitigating speaking anxiety, including familiarization with the audience, self-calming techniques, structured practice, and exposure therapy with the help of virtual reality technology.