Estrategias didácticas para reducir la ansiedad al hablar inglés en estudiantes universitarios

Resumen

Introduction: English-speaking anxiety constitutes a significant affective barrier that hinders the development of oral competence in university students of English as a foreign language (EFL). Despite its high prevalence in higher education contexts, the implementation of specific teaching strategies to mitigate this anxiety remains an unresolved pedagogical challenge in many institutions. Objective: This article analyzes the causes, manifestations, and consequences of language anxiety when speaking English in university students and proposes an evidence-based integrated set of teaching strategies to effectively reduce it. Methods: A systematic literature review was conducted following PRISMA guidelines, consulting the Scopus, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, and ERIC databases for the period 2020-2026. Twenty-eight empirical articles that met the inclusion criteria were identified and analyzed through thematic synthesis. Results: The findings confirm a consistent inverse correlation between communicative anxiety and oral performance, identifying fear of negative evaluation, low self-confidence, lack of language exposure, and traditional classroom dynamics as the main sources of anxiety. The most effective strategies include creating safe and supportive learning environments, cooperative learning, constructive feedback, gradual exposure, integration of technological tools, and relaxation techniques. Discussion: The evidence indicates that intentional pedagogical interventions significantly reduce speaking anxiety levels and improve students‘ oral performance, engagement, and motivation. Conclusions: A three-phase integrated model (preparation, guided practice, and autonomous production) is proposed, which teachers can implement to transform the EFL classroom into a pedagogically safe space where mistakes are valued as part of the learning process.