A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF THE ISSUES AND CHALLENGES IN DEVELOPING EFL LEARNERS’ SPEAKING SKILLS

Abstract

In today’s globalized world, speaking is considered as a crucial language skill to learn as it allows people to communicate with others. However, the majority of EFL learners around the world found it challenging to improve their speaking skills. The objective of this systematic review study is to present a critical overview of relevant existing research studies to explore barriers to speaking development among EFL learners in any levels of education and solutions to overcome them in EFL contexts. To this end, the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) was used to analyse 19 empirical studies from SCOPUS, ERIC, and Google Scholar databases published between 2018 and 2022 in different EFL contexts. The findings of this review revealed that psychological problems were the primary barriers to EFL learners’ development in speaking, followed by environmental, and linguistic problems. Suggestions offered by most of reviewed studies entailed applying more communicative activities, using digital technology and creating a stress-free learning environment. This study also suggests significant implications for providing a better language learning experience among EFL learners particularly in developing speaking skills.