The Effect of Language Anxiety on Lexical Retrieval and Oral Fluency in EFL Classrooms

This study examines the effect of language anxiety (LA) on lexical retrieval and oral fluency among Iranian EFL learners in classroom settings. A mixed-methods design was employed with ۷۸ intermediate learners. Participants completed the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS), a lexical decision task (LDT), and an oral picture-description task. Quantitative data were analyzed using Pearson correlation, multiple regression, and independent t-tests. Results indicated a significant negative correlation between LA and both lexical retrieval accuracy (r = -.۵۲, p < .۰۱) and oral fluency measured by speech rate (r = -.۶۱, p < .۰۱). High-anxiety learners demonstrated slower reaction times in retrieving high-frequency words and produced significantly more disfluency markers, including filled pauses and repetitions. Qualitative thematic analysis of post-task interviews revealed that perceived negative evaluation and time pressure were the primary triggers of lexical blocking. These findings support the Processing Efficiency Theory, suggesting that anxiety consumes working memory resources required for lexical access. The study provides pedagogical implications for anxiety-reducing instructional designs in EFL classrooms.

کلیدواژه ها:

Language anxiety ، lexical retrieval ، oral fluency ، EFL classrooms ، processing efficiency