The Impact of Resilience-Based Intervention on Foreign Language Speaking Anxiety among University Students

This study investigated the effectiveness of a resilience-based group intervention in reducing foreign language speaking anxiety among university English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students. It further examined whether the intervention enhanced psychological resilience and led to improvements in objective English-speaking performance. A randomized wait-list controlled pre–post design was employed. Ninety-two undergraduate English Language Teaching students from Islamic Azad University, Astara Branch were screened for moderate-to-high foreign language anxiety, and ۸۷ eligible participants were randomly assigned to either a resilience-based intervention group or a control group. The intervention consisted of six weekly ۹۰-minute sessions focusing on emotion regulation, cognitive reappraisal, optimism training, strengths-based self-efficacy, coping strategies, social support, and graded speaking exposure. Foreign language speaking anxiety, psychological resilience, and speaking performance were measured at baseline and post-intervention using validated self-report instruments and an IELTS-style speaking test. Data was analyzed using mixed-design ANOVAs. The results revealed significant Group × Time interactions for all outcome variables. Compared with the control group, participants in the intervention group showed a substantial reduction in foreign language speaking anxiety, a significant increase in psychological resilience, and significantly greater gains in objective speaking performance. Effect sizes were medium to large, indicating strong practical significance. The findings provide empirical support for resilience-based interventions as an effective, resource-oriented approach to reducing speaking anxiety and enhancing both psychological well-being and oral language performance in university EFL contexts.

کلیدواژه ها:

Foreign language speaking anxiety ، psychological resilience ، resilience-based intervention ، EFL university students ، speaking performance