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Speaking is a productive skill that depends on several factors such as knowledge, confidence, enthusiasm, self-esteem and motivation. However, communicating in a second language is often difficult for students because it creates anxiety, among other issues, especially for beginners, who may find speaking not only demanding but also threatening.

Despite these challenges, speaking is an essential skill for both language acquisition and real interaction. During my teaching practice, I observed that some students were reluctant to participate in oral activities. As a result, they were missing a crucial aspect of learning that could prepare them for real communication outside the classroom and contribute to the development of their communicative competence.

Since oral communication is pivotal for language development, it is essential to explore the possible reasons behind this lack of participation and find strategies that may encourage students to use English more confidently. Therefore, through this action research project, I will try to respond to the question of why students were unwilling to communicate orally in the target language and propose some activities to address this issue. By identifying barriers and applying strategies to reduce them, this project seeks to foster the use of English in the classroom.

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During my teaching practice, my partner and I were assigned a 1st-year course at a public secondary school named ESRN #155. The group consisted of 20 students: 11 boys and 9 girls, who were around 12 and 13 years old. The English schedule was only once a week, on Tuesdays from 7:30 am to 9:20 am, and we gave 6 lessons in total. Their level of proficiency was starter; however, there were some differences among them regarding their language performance, mainly because some of them had attended private lessons before, and the rest had never had private English lessons.

In general terms, the group behaved very well and did all the activities my partner and I designed for them. However, when it comes to participation, those students who had a higher level of English and felt more confident while speaking were usually the most participative, while those who did not were reluctant to do so. Additionally, at this institution, English is taught as a foreign language, with students attending lessons once a week for two hours. This limited exposure to English may pose significant challenges for students’ language acquisition, particularly in the development of speaking skills.

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During my teaching practice and my lesson plans, one of the most evident problems I encountered was that most of the students were unwilling to participate orally in the target language. As I have previously mentioned, within this group, there was a clear difference in language proficiency: the students who had a higher level of English tended to dominate classroom interaction, while the weaker ones often remained silent, avoiding participation even when asked to check activities. Consequently, lessons sometimes became rather monotonous, since only a small number of students consistently engaged in oral interactions, and sometimes, they got tired of being the only ones who had to provide answers.

Another issue was the frequent use of the first language during classroom interaction. Students with a low level of proficiency often requested translations from their peers when it came to teacher-student spoken interaction and instructions. Moreover, when students were asked to work in groups or pairs, most of them used L1 to carry out the activities. This reliance on the mother tongue limited their opportunities to practice English and reduced the authenticity of communicative activities.

The lack of oral practice and the lack of importance this skill seemed to have among the students made it really difficult for them to advance in their process of developing communicative competence in the target language. Addressing this issue is key, as speaking not only consolidates knowledge but also allows learners to interact meaningfully and prepare them for real-life communication beyond the classroom.

The students' unwillingness to participate orally in the target language may be because of some of the following causes:

The type of activities designed for them might not stimulate their desire or willingness to speak in English, since they might not have a true communicative purpose. In general terms, these activities were mainly designed to practice some vocabulary and grammar structures related to describing places. We’ve also worked with the verb to be, but in my opinion, there wasn’t much emphasis or work on it, so as for students to see the importance of its use. Although these vocabulary items and grammar structures were in context, many of them were structural activities in which students needed to use the structures through fill-in-the-gap activities or to identify were used appropriately in different sentences. As a result, students may have found these activities boring and meaningless, leading them not to feel the necessity of speaking in the target language.

Other different aspects worth mentioning when thinking about the possible causes of the problem mentioned are affective, psychological or emotional, and social factors, among others.

According to authors like Krashen (1982) and Dörnyei (1994, 2001), learners' affective characteristics, such as motivation and self-confidence/self-esteem, can strongly influence their willingness to communicate in the target language. Dörnyei highlights the role of motivation, both intrinsic (interest and enjoyment when it comes to learn the L2) and extrinsic (external rewards or recognition), as a significant factor for active engagement in classroom oral participation. Low motivation or a little interest in the topics presented during the lessons may hinder students from having an active role in the lesson. Learners who are motivated are more likely to take risks and practice speaking, while those who lack any kind of motivation or do not find activities/topics appealing or relevant to them tend to remain passive or disengaged during oral activities. Besides, according to Julie Tice (1997), "for many children, the main reason for studying English is that it is part of the school syllabus" (p.16). Due to this, "students see the target language as just another school subject". Furthermore, "weaker students' motivation is often reduced by the sense of failure as they find the subject difficult and make little progress". At this point, it is also relevant to consider the Affective Filter Hypothesis, a concept within Second Language Acquisition (SLA) proposed by Dulay and Burt (1977) and later developed by Krashen (1982). It suggests that emotional variables such as motivation, anxiety, and self-confidence act as a “filter” that can either facilitate or block language input from being effectively processed. A low affective filter (high motivation, low anxiety, strong confidence) allows learners to benefit more from exposure and practice, while a high affective filter (low motivation, high anxiety, low confidence) prevents input from becoming intake. In line with this, the lack of self-esteem or self-confidence (the evaluation one makes about one’s own worth) can also prevent students from fully engaging in oral communication. This can be related to a fear of making mistakes: students with higher self-confidence are generally more willing to participate and less fearful of making mistakes, while those with low self-esteem may perceive oral contributions as threatening. Because of this, and according to Brown B. (2007), positive self-concept and encouragement from teachers can help learners take risks in speaking. If students believe they are incapable of expressing themselves correctly, they are more likely to avoid speaking altogether, thus missing valuable opportunities to practice.

In addition to affective aspects, several psychological and emotional factors may explain students’ reluctance to participate orally in English. These can include issues related to personality, like introversion and extroversion and emotional responses such as anxiety or fear. When it comes to personality styles, one relevant and significant factor is introversion versus extroversion. Some researchers suggest that extroverted learners are generally more eager to take risks and take part in oral tasks, while introverted learners may prefer to listen or remain silent. Thus, personality traits such as shyness or inhibition (connected to the process of building defences to protect the ego) can therefore limit the opportunities students are given to speak in the target language. In addition, research has shown that anxiety is not uncommon in almost all disciplines of learning, being an issue that contributes to poor performance. In this case, it is relevant to allude to a particular type of anxiety, the Foreign language anxiety (FLA). The authors Horwitz, Horwitz and Cope (1986) were the first to conceptualise FLA as a unique type of anxiety specific to foreign language learning. They defined FLA as “a distinct complex construct of self-perceptions, beliefs, feelings, and behaviours related to classroom language learning”  (p.128). Thus, anxiety is associated with negative feelings such as frustration, self-doubt, apprehension and tension, which make us nervous and afraid to speak.

Finally, social dynamics also play a role when it comes to participating orally in English lessons. Learners’ decision to speak is shaped not only by internal factors (e.g., anxiety, motivation) but also by the classroom atmosphere and the reactions of peers. Research on classroom interaction suggests that peer pressure and fear of embarrassment can contribute to these students’ reluctance to participate orally. When students feel supported and accepted by their group, they are more likely to engage in oral communication. Conversely, a competitive or critical environment can increase silence and passive roles.

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After observing this lack of oral participation in the English lessons and after analyzing some of the possible causes for students' reluctant attitude towards oral production, some questions arose: Is there a way to truly engage teens in oral interactions? Is there any chance to make a difference and create activities that foster students’ desire to communicate in English? Because of this, I will focus my action research project on exploring why most of the students were resistant to communicating orally in the target language, and look for some solutions that could possibly solve or remedy the problem that has been identified and mentioned earlier. More specifically, the project will seek to provide more opportunities for meaningful oral interaction in class, identify teaching strategies that reduce students’ anxiety and motivate them to speak in English, increase students’ confidence when speaking in the target language, encourage the use of English during pair and group work as a natural part of classroom communication, encourage equal participation among students, minimizing peer pressure, provide scaffolding (e.g., vocabulary, sentence starters, prompts) to help students express themselves orally, among others.

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In order to gather data regarding students’ unwillingness to communicate orally in English, I will employ various procedures which will help me to adopt specific strategies to adress or remedy the identified problem.

Firstly, I will design a questionnaire to give my students at the beginning to get to know them better. As Michael J. Wallace (1998) affirms, this method is a very useful tool when gathering information about affective dimensions of teaching and learning, such as beliefs, attitudes, motivations, and preferences. Since the level of proficiency of the class observed is starter for almost everyone, the questionnaire will be written in L1 so they can feel relaxed when they complete it. The questionnaire will include both closed and open-ended questions and will focus mainly on two themes: students’ motivation and interests. It will also include some questions related to students’ attitudes towards L2, whether they have studied English in a private institute or somewhere else, etc. For example, students will be asked about their feelings (confidence, anxiety, enjoyment), their preferences (topics, activity types), and perceived difficulties when speaking English. The aim is to capture students’ self-perceptions about motivation, confidence, anxiety, and preferences for speaking activities.

After doing this, I will use the classroom observation method. To do this, I will ask a teacher to observe my lessons for three weeks and consider several aspects that will aid me later in my analysis. I will make use of this procedure because, as Wajnryb Ruth (1992) affirms, an observation is a focused activity that takes place while observing a lesson in progress. It focuses on some aspects of teaching and requires the observer to gather information from the lesson, such as the language a teacher uses when giving instructions, or the patterns of interaction, different learning styles, patterns of group dynamics that emerge during a lesson, among others. As a result, it gives teachers a raised awareness of classroom realities and a source of information and experience that will serve them in discussing and reflecting on the classroom afterwards. In this case, the focus of the information will be on the trainee, the students and the context. I will ask the teacher to take systematic notes following categories such as student participation, teacher input, peer interaction, the amount of L1 versus L2 use, and the level of engagement in different types of activities (e.g., pair work, jigsaw tasks, whole-class discussions).

To complete my data collection, I will record my lessons so as to analyse the type of meta-language I use, so as to focus on the way I give instructions and explanations, and this will also help me to collect evidence of the quantity and quality of students’ oral production, as well as the distribution of speaking turns among students. This data will later be analyzed to compare teacher talk time (TTT) versus student talk time (STT). Apart from that, A semi-structured interview will be conducted, after the questionnaire, with small groups of students to obtain deeper insights into affective and social factors such as peer pressure, fear of embarrassment, and lack of motivation. This tool will allow me to hear students’ voices directly and to identify possible classroom dynamics that cannot be observed from the outside. Finally, I will keep a journal since this procedure will provide me with effective means of identifying variables, and it will serve as a means of producing questions and hypotheses about teaching and learning processes. This tool will also serve as a source of reflexive data and contribute to the cyclical nature of action research.

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Once all the data has been gathered, the questionnaire will be analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively. Closed questions/answers will be examined through a raw analysis to identify common patterns. They will be tallied and presented in simple frequency tables or charts to show tendencies (e.g., how many students reported anxiety vs confidence). This will make it easier to identify majority vs minority attitudes. Open-ended responses will be coded thematically. That is, responses will be read multiple times, grouped under recurring categories (e.g., ‘fear of making mistakes,’ ‘enjoyment of games,’ ‘lack of vocabulary’), and cross-checked with classroom observation notes to confirm whether students’ reported feelings align with actual behaviours. This will allow me to compare individual differences with group tendencies and establish connections with classroom behaviours.

Data collected from lesson observations and the journal will be analyzed, in collaboration with the teacher, according to the pre-established categories: student participation, teacher input, peer interaction, use of L1 versus L2, and engagement in different task types (pair work, jigsaw, whole-class). By comparing the notes from the observations across the three weeks, I will be able to identify recurring patterns, changes in participation, and specific moments in which students either engaged or withdrew from oral activities. This will help me to create activities/tasks which may increase students’ motivation or their willingness to speak. This is because if they participate more eventually, that means their motivation is increasing.

Voice recordings will be analyzed according to the amount of speech coming from the teacher (me) versus the amount of speech coming from the students. In order to carry out this analysis, I will measure how many words the students said. This will allow me to compare teacher talk time (TTT) versus student talk time (STT) and track changes across lessons. Hence, the overall data collected will allow me to find or design the most convenient solutions to the main issue, such as increasing pair work, adapting topics to students’ interests, and reducing teacher talk time to foster greater opportunities for student speech.

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This project draws upon some theories in second language acquisition (SLA) and educational psychology to understand the multifaceted nature of oral participation barriers.

A. Affective and Psychological Factors Influencing Oral Participation. Affective characteristics, encompassing emotions and feelings, significantly influence a learner's willingness to communicate (WTC).

1. Motivation

Impact on participation: Low motivation or a lack of interest in topics may hinder students from having an active role in lessons. Learners who are motivated are more likely to take risks and practice speaking. Julie Tice (1997) notes, "for many children, the main reason for studying English is that it is part of the school syllabus" and "students see the target language as just another school subject". Furthermore, "weaker students' motivation is often reduced by the sense of failure as they find the subject difficult and make little progress". Dörnyei highlights motivation as a "key aspect behind eagerness to speak".

2. Self-Confidence and Self-Esteem

Impact on participation: A lack of self-esteem or self-confidence can prevent students from fully engaging in oral communication. According to Brown B. (2007), "positive self-concept and encouragement from teachers can help learners take risks in speaking".

3. Anxiety

Impact on participation: Anxiety is an affective factor that can contribute to poor performance. Foreign language anxiety (FLA) is defined as “a distinct complex construct of self-perceptions, beliefs, feelings, and behaviours related to classroom language learning” (Horwitz, Horwitz and Cope, 1986, p.128). It is associated with negative feelings such as frustration, self-doubt, apprehension, and tension.

4. Inhibition and Risk-Taking

Impact on participation: Personality traits like shyness or inhibition can limit opportunities for students to speak. Fear of making mistakes is closely linked to low risk-taking.

5. Affective Filter Hypothesis (Krashen, Dulay & Burt, 1977; Krashen, 1982)

Concept: This hypothesis suggests that emotional variables like motivation, anxiety, and self-confidence act as a “filter” that can either facilitate or block language input from being effectively processed.

Impact on participation: A low affective filter (high motivation, low anxiety, strong confidence) allows learners to benefit more from exposure and practice, while a high affective filter prevents input from becoming intake.

B. Social Factors and Classroom Dynamics

1. Peer Pressure and Classroom Atmosphere

Impact on participation: Learners’ decisions to speak are influenced by the classroom atmosphere and reactions of peers. A competitive or critical environment can increase silence and passive roles. Julie Tice (1997) emphasizes the importance of a cooperative environment: "encourage an atmosphere of co-operation, tolerance and mutual support. If students feel comfortable in a group they will be more open to learning and may develop a more positive attitude towards the language".

C. Language Learning Theories and Pedagogical Approaches. Effective pedagogical approaches are crucial for fostering oral participation and overall language development.

1. Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) (Littlewood, W., 1981)

Impact on participation: This approach "emphasises meaningful interaction and authentic communication as the core of language acquisition". It places the learner at the center and promotes communication as both the means and the goal of language learning.

2. Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) (Nunan, 2004)

Impact on participation: Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) is a concrete implementation of CLT principles. "pedagogical tasks involve learners in comprehending, manipulating, producing, or interacting in the target language, with their attention focused primarily on meaning rather than on grammatical form" (Nunan, 2004). Tasks should provide a reason to communicate, mirroring real-life interaction. Adrian Doff (1988) states that "in real life we usually communicate with others to tell them things or find out information, which means that we have a reason to communicate".

D. Proposed solutions

Drawing from the identified theoretical foundations, the project will implement solutions aimed at fostering oral participation:

1. Create a pleasant and supportive atmosphere in the classroom

2. Adopt a more communicative language teaching approach (CLT) and Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT)

3. Enhance students’ motivation and overcome fear

4. Provide scaffolding and reduce teacher talk time (TTT),

5. Encourage equal participation and minimize peer pressure

Link to my notebook: https://notebooklm.google.com/notebook/29f9a779-5412-4ad1-a20b-f348fe2cc720?authuser=2

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Once I have finished analysing the data collected, I will try out the following possible solutions:

Create a pleasant and supportive atmosphere in the classroom: Creating a comfortable space for students will lower their negative affective factors, which may weaken learning effectiveness and L2 motivation. According to Julie Tice, it is crucial to “encourage an atmosphere of co-operation, tolerance and mutual support. If students feel comfortable in a group they will be more open to learning and may develop a more positive attitude towards the language” (1997, p.17). In this sense, with a safe classroom climate, students will feel more relaxed about expressing their opinions, as they will not feel a sense of fear or embarrassment. To create a special and satisfying atmosphere, I will foster tolerance and mutual support by encouraging and training students to listen to one another as a sign of respect. For instance, whenever students have to give a presentation to the class, I will design tasks for the students who are not giving the presentation, so that they have a reason to listen to their peers carefully.

Design tasks for them to work in small groups to work together. According to Adrian Doff, group work gives students more opportunities to speak English, all the students are involved, shy students feel more secure and are more willing to speak; it encourages students to share ideas and help each other” (1988, p.132). Additionally, Arnolds Jane mentions in her book "Affect in Language Learning" that communicative language learning experiences are examples of particularly effective exploitations of classroom dynamics and group work. This context supports the idea that group work is seen as valuable in language teaching and learning.

Adopt a more communicative language teaching approach (CLT). Littlewood W. (1981) affirms that this approach emphasises meaningful interaction and authentic communication as the core of language acquisition. He explains that foreign language teaching must be concerned with reality, that is, with the reality as it takes place outside the classroom and with the reality of learners as they exist outside and inside the classroom.  In this sense, CLT provides an overall pedagogical orientation, placing the learner at the centre of the learning process and promoting communication as both the means and the goal of language learning. In line with this approach, it is pivotal to mention Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT), which can be seen as a concrete implementation of CLT principles. As Nunan (2004) explains, TBLT offers a specific methodology in the classroom. In TBLT, pedagogical tasks involve learners in comprehending, manipulating, producing, or interacting in the target language, with their attention focused primarily on meaning rather than on grammatical form. In this way, TBLT provides teachers with a practical framework for realizing the communicative goals of CLT, as tasks create opportunities for authentic interaction and meaningful use of the language. Moreover, Adrian Doff (1988) explains that in real life we usually communicate with others to tell them things or find out information, which means that we have a reason to communicate. Consequently, I will try to use tasks that help my students to start communicating in the target language in a more meaningful and engaging way.

Enhance students’ motivation and overcome fear.  As stated by Harmer J. (1998), positive classroom climate, students’ interest and involvement are pivotal for effective language learning, especially through his ESA framework. By grasping students’ attention with engaging topics and content, maintaining variety, and providing opportunities for them to have an active participation, effective and meaningful conditions where students are more willing to speak and less fearful to participate are created. This aligns with Dörnyei’s view of motivation as a key aspect behind eagerness to speak in the target language. According to this author, making learning stimulating, relevant, and enjoyable is essential to maintaining student motivation. In this sense, Harmer’s focus on engaging tasks and positive atmosphere directly supports Dörnyei’s motivational strategies by reducing boredom, anxiety and fear. Thus, when students are interested in the content and actively involved in tasks that are meaningful and achievable, their motivation and willingness increase. Therefore, in order to try to achieve this, I will use some of Tice’s suggested techniques. According to this author, raising students’ awareness of just how much English there is around them, how many people speak English, and how much English they already know can increase motivation. This can be done through tasks which enable students to use English to talk about themselves. For instance, have students work in groups and produce a poster about important events in their lives, and then give a small presentation about it. Apart from that, there are other engaging activities that can help learners realise how much English they know, like English and my language, in which the teacher brainstorms all the words students already know and are used in both languages. Finally, a significant activity for students to notice the relevance of this language is English and jobs in which students put a list of jobs in order of how important English is to each one. Then they compare and justify. They can also say which jobs they would most/least like to do and why.

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The possible solution to the problem will be implemented within a month, though the process may extend depending on students’ progress. During the first week, I will raise awareness about the importance of communication in English and encourage students to share their ideas in L1 about situations in which they use or might use English. In groups, they will discuss the role of spoken language compared to written language, and they will create a simple chart with their opinions to be shared with the class. At the same time, I will start applying activities in order to lower affective filters and build students’ confidence in speaking. From the second week onwards, I will focus on implementing task-based activities designed around students’ interests and preferences, as this may enhance their motivation. These tasks will include activities such as problem-solving situations and role-plays. In this way, students will be encouraged to engage in meaningful communication while practicing oral skills.

In order to evaluate the effectiveness of the implementation, I will keep a record of students’ participation during tasks and compare it with their performance before the plan. I will also collect students’ feedback through a short questionnaire in which they will be asked to rank the tasks and activities based on their preferences. This will provide evidence of whether the chosen solution has had a positive impact on students’ oral participation.

Sample activity to foster a good classroom atmosphere

a) What makes you different?

For this activity, I will give each student a card to write three things they feel good about and that they think make them different from everyone else in the class. Students should write the things, write their names on the card and give them back to me. Then, I will read each card aloud asking for three guesses as to whose card it is. Students should not reveal whether or not it is their card so that their classmates can guess. As a follow-up, students can ask questions related to the card to the mystery person. Through this activity, students learn new and unusual things about one another. Thus, it cultivates a positive group atmosphere, mutual trust, and individual self-confidence.

Sample activities designed around students’ interests and preferences

b) What do you like?

For this activity, each student will be asked to be ready to talk about a hobby or a personal interest for two or three minutes. They should not read from a prepared text, which I must check in advance.

c) Who is it?

For this activity, I will ask students to work in small groups. One student will choose the name of a famous person they like. The other students have to discover the “identity” of the famous person chosen by asking questions (previously taught) to which the answer will be “yes” or “no”.

Sample activity to engage in meaningful communication

For this activity, I will ask the class to read a text about the dangers of smoking, for instance. Then I will divide them into groups. Some groups will act as “doctors” and prepare arguments to persuade a person to stop smoking.  The other groups will act as “smokers” and prepare their reasons for continuing to smoke. Finally, the class will be reorganized into pairs, each consisting of a “smoker” and a “doctor”. The “smoker” has bronchitis, and the “doctor” will need to try to persuade this person to stop smoking.

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Conducting this classroom research has enabled me to reflect more deeply on the factors that influence students’ oral participation in English lessons. I have learned that their unwillingness to speak is not simply a matter of lack of knowledge, for instance, but the result of a connection between affective, psychological, and social factors. Concepts such as motivation, self-confidence, and the affective filter provided me with valuable insights into how learners’ emotions and perceptions can either foster or block their eagerness to communicate in the language. Apart from that, I have also discovered the value of reflection journals as useful tools to understand my students and my own teaching practice, in order to make it more appealing and more effective for my students. Overall, I have learned that classroom research is not only about solving an immediate problem, but also about developing as a reflective teacher who is willing to adapt and grow alongside their students

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Arnold, J. (1999). Affect in Language Learning. Cambridge University Press.

Brown, H.D. 2007. Principles of Language Learning and Teaching.  (5th ed.). Pearson.

Doff, A. (1988). Teach English. A training course for teachers. Cambridge University Press.

Dörnyei, Z. 2014. “Motivation in Second Language Learning”. In Celce Murcia, M., D. Brinton and M. Snow (eds). Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language. National Geographic Learning/Heinle Cengage. Ch 33.

Dörnyei, Z. and E. Ushioda. 2011. Teaching and Researching Motivation. Longman. UK: Pearson. Chapters 5, 6 & 7.

Harmer, J. (1998). How to Teach English. Longman.

Horwitz, E. K., Horwitz, M. B., & Cope, J. (1986). Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety. The Modern Language Journal, 70(2), 125-132

Krashen, S. D. (1982). Principles and Practice in Second Language Acquisition. Pergamon Press.

Littlewood, W. (1981). Communicative Language Teaching. Cambridge University Press.

Nunan, D. (1989). Designing Tasks for the Communicative Classroom. Cambridge University Press.

Tice, J. (1997). The Mixed Ability Class. Richmond.

Wajnryb, R. (1992). Classroom Observation Tasks. Cambridge University Press.