Keywords
interactive activities
EFL classrooms
speaking anxiety
willingness to communicate
communicative language teaching
How to Cite
Abstract
Speaking confidence is widely acknowledged as a crucial affective factor influencing learners’ oral participation in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classrooms. Despite adequate linguistic knowledge, many EFL learners refrain from speaking due to anxiety, fear of negative evaluation, and limited opportunities for meaningful interaction. This study investigates the role of interactive activities in developing students’ speaking confidence in an EFL classroom context.The research employed a quasi-experimental pre-test-post-test design involving an experimental group and a control group consisting of 60 secondary school EFL learners in Uzbekistan. Over a six-week intervention period, the experimental group was exposed to interactive activities such as role-plays, information-gap tasks, jigsaw activities, and debates, while the control group received traditional teacher-centered instruction. Data were collected using a speaking confidence questionnaire and a speaking performance rubric. Quantitative data were analyzed through paired and independent samples t-tests, with effect sizes calculated using Cohen’s d.The results revealed a statistically significant increase in speaking confidence among students in the experimental group, with a large effect size, whereas no significant improvement was observed in the control group. Furthermore, role-play and information-gap activities demonstrated stronger effects on confidence development compared to debates. The findings suggest that interactive activities create supportive learning environments that reduce anxiety and encourage active oral participation. The study highlights the importance of integrating interactive pedagogy to foster confident and communicatively competent EFL learners.References
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