The Impact of Confidence and Self-Esteem in the Development of English Speaking Skills
Oscar Manuel Narváez Trejo, María del Pilar Balbuena Ortega,Carolina Reyes Galindo, Jennifer Cucurachi Moctezuma, Olga Lidia Sánchez Cruz

Abstract
The improvement of speaking skills is profoundly influenced by self-esteem and self-confidence. Previous studies have shown that there is a direct relationship between students‟ confidence and their speaking behaviour in L2 (Nazarova & Umurova, 2016). This study endeavours to ascertain the impact of self-esteem and self-confidence on the speaking performance of English advanced students enrolled in a teacher education programme in Southeast Mexico. Additionally, the study using a convergent mixed method design as it involved qualitative and quantitative data sought to reveal whether instructors employ instructional techniques that assist students in boosting their self-esteem. The findings showed that students‟ self-perception where they do not feel confident with themselves may have an impact on how they deal with their speaking performance, especially when it comes to class participation. The results of this investigation might be of interest to educational researchers, EFL teachers and learners interested in affective factors. It might also contribute to expand the knowledge about self-esteem and self-confidence effects on students‟ English learning experience in Latin American contexts.

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