The Effect of Storytelling on Reducing French Language Learning Anxiety among Students at University of Tehran

 One of the barriers for some foreign language learners is the anxiety and fear they face in the classroom, especially during speaking. The solution to this problem may lie in the choice of appropriate strategies, methods, teaching aids, and content. In this regard, this study aims to measure the effect of storytelling-based activities in the classroom on the student’s anxiety level while speaking. To achieve the above-mentioned goal, this article describes and analyzes the social representations that Iranian students establish combining the place of storytelling workshops in their French language learning process and their experiences during these workshops. This research was conducted by field study and data collection through semi-structured interviews with undergraduate students in French language and literature at the University of Tehran who had participated in the storytelling workshops in 2020. The analyzed data using the content analysis method indicate the existence of variables affecting the level of anxiety when speaking storytelling. The results of the study demonstrate the degree and the forms of student anxiety. Moreover, these analysis show that teachers can further help learners to acquire the needed skills to manage and cope with anxiety caused by speaking situations.Keywords: Anxiety, Oral expression, Storytelling, Iranian students, Learning French.