Difficulties in Speaking English Among Iraqi High School Students at Al-Mutafawiqat School for Girls

Abstract

 In Iraq, English is a compulsory subject at schools, intended to prepare students for academic and professional futures in a globalized world. It is taught in schools from an early age.  Despite this, many high school students across the country face significant challenges when it comes to speaking English. These difficulties hinder not only academic performance but also limit students’ ability to engage with international educational and career opportunities. Understanding the root causes of these challenges is essential for developing effective strategies to overcome them. This study  aims   to investigate  the  common difficulties encountered by   female high school students at Al Mutafawiqat secondary school for girls .It also suggests possible solutions. A survey   study was designed to suit these aims. The participants of this study were 37 female   students  at fourth and fifth high school levels. Their ages were between ( 16) and ( 17) years old. The  data was collected by  using questionnaires  . In analyzing data, the researcher analyzed the data based on each question and answer of the respondent. The researcher analyzed the data one by one to get the point of the research. This study has indicated that Iraqi female  high school  students at Al –Mutafawiqat  school suffer from a high level of difficulty in speaking a second language . According to the results , the major  factors that obstruct  students' ability to talk in a second language  were caused by linguistic and nonlinguistic  factors. The linguistic factors were  : lack of vocabularies. On the other hand the nonlinguistic factors (psychological factors) were: fear of making mistakes, shyness, anxiety, and mother tongue use