مجلة دراسات الإنسان و المجتمع

Speaking is the active use of language to express meaning, and for foreign learners, the spoken language is the medium through which a new language is encountered, understood, practiced, and learnt. However, to many learners, speaking English seems to be a very challenging task. Since the aim of English education is not only to develop knowledge of grammar and written skills but also to teach oral English skills, this problem needs to be studied in order to remedy the situation. The aim of this study is, therefore, to discover if foreign learners of English have problems in speaking English, and if so, what types of problems and why. In this study, these problems are analyzed according to the factors affecting them. To achieve this goal, a total sample of 60 3rd year students at Dept. of English, Linguistics Section at Faculty of Languages & Translation in Zawia University (males and females) is randomly chosen. Two qualitative data collection tools are used: a questionnaire and an interview, to get as precise results as possible. Data obtained from the questionnaire and the interview was analyzed qualitatively. In general, from the results of the investigation, it is evident that Libyan students (as foreign learners of English) encounter many serious problems in the speaking class. Moreover, there are many factors that contributed to their success and failure in performing speaking tasks. On the whole, the current teaching and learning of speaking skills at Dept. of Englishat Faculty of Languages & Translation in Zawia University needs to be improved................. Keywords: .......speaking skill, Arabic-speaking EFL Learners, problems and solutions.