Alleviating Foreign Language Speaking Anxiety: A Meta-Analysis of Pedagogical Interventions

2025-10-03T12:03:07+00:00

Background: Foreign Language Speaking Anxiety (FLSA) is a significant affective barrier that impedes oral proficiency and overall language acquisition for many learners. While numerous studies have proposed interventions to mitigate FLSA, their effectiveness varies, and a quantitative synthesis of the evidence is lacking.

Aims: This meta-analysis quantitatively synthesizes the results of experimental and quasi-experimental studies to determine the overall effectiveness of interventions designed to reduce FLSA. It also investigates potential moderating variables, including intervention type, duration, and participant proficiency level, to identify the most impactful pedagogical conditions.

Method: A systematic literature search was conducted across major academic databases. Studies were included if they employed an intervention, utilized a control group, and provided sufficient statistical data to calculate Hedges’ g as the effect size. A random-effects model was used to compute the overall effect size and conduct moderator analyses to account for significant heterogeneity (assessed via Q-statistic and I² index).

Results: The analysis of 62 studies, encompassing 4,318 learners, revealed a large and statistically significant overall effect size (Hedges’ g = 0.85, 95% CI [0.71, 0.99], p < .001), indicating that interventions are highly effective in reducing FLSA. Significant heterogeneity was observed (I² = 75.4%). Moderator analysis revealed that technology-based interventions yielded significantly larger effects than traditional pedagogical approaches. Furthermore, intervention duration was positively associated with a greater reduction in anxiety, and unpublished dissertations reported larger effect sizes than peer-reviewed articles.

Conclusion: The findings provide robust evidence that targeted interventions can substantially reduce foreign language speaking anxiety. The analysis highlights the comparative effectiveness of different approaches, offering valuable, evidence-based guidelines for educators and curriculum developers seeking to create more supportive and effective language learning environments.

International Journal of Pedagogics

Alleviating Foreign Language Speaking Anxiety: A Meta-Analysis of Pedagogical Interventions