ORAL COMMUNICATION SKILLS AMONG EGYPTIAN EFL UNIVERSITY STUDENTS: CHALLENGES, PSYCHOLOGICAL BARRIERS, AND PEDAGOGICAL STRATEGIES

Abstract

Although English proficiency has become a central requirement in academic and professional settings, many EFL university students remain unable to communicate effectively in spoken English, even when they possess sufficient grammatical and lexical knowledge. This literature review examines how oral communication is conceptualized in EFL higher education, identifies key psychological factors that hinder students’ oral communication, and synthesizes evidence-based pedagogical strategies for improving communication competence. Drawing on research in applied linguistics and educational psychology, the review highlights that oral communication extends beyond linguistic accuracy to include pragmatic, paralinguistic, and interactional skills. However, students frequently experience anxiety, fear of negative evaluation, shyness, low confidence, and fluctuating motivation, which inhibit their willingness to speak and reduce fluency. The review further shows that teacher-centered practices and limited classroom interaction exacerbate these challenges. In response, communicative tasks, such as communicative games, storytelling, interviews, discussions, podcasting, and visually supported description, are shown to reduce anxiety, increase autonomy, and support meaningful language use. Moreover, technology-enhanced speaking tools offer additional opportunities for practice, though their effectiveness depends on intentional pedagogical integration. The paper concludes by recommending learner-centered approaches and guided digital tool use to create supportive, interactive environments that foster confident and competent oral communication in EFL university classrooms.