Exploring the Influence of ESL Learners’ Self-confidence on their Speaking Competence: A Narrative Study

Abstract

English speaking ability has been considered as one of the most necessary qualifications in a world-wide workplace. To prepare ESL learners for future competition, English speaking skills are centred in most educational settings, so understanding the factors influencing their speaking performance is essential. The study aims to investigate the influence of ESL learners’ self-confidence on their speaking skills. In this study, the theoretical framework of confidence in terms of attitudes by Ostrom (1969) was employed to figure out the influence of affective, behavioral and cognitive factors on ESL learners’ speaking ability. The participants involved in this study were 20 students from English language major at a university. A semi-structured interview was used to explore learners’ views and then qualitatively coded transcriptions were utilized for thematic analysis. The results indicated that learners’ self-confidence had an influential effect on their ability to speak English. This finding is a reference for language instructors to help their learners enhance their self-confidence when they are speaking and for ESL learners to seek strategies to be more confident in their English-speaking tasks.