<![CDATA[Speaking and listening comprehension remain among the most challenging language skills for English as a Foreign Language (EFL) university students in Libya, despite years of continuous formal instruction across primary, secondary, and tertiary settings. This study critically evaluates the core systemic, psychological, cognitive, and instructional barriers hindering oral language development in Libyan tertiary education and synthesizes evidence-based strategies for instructional reform. Utilizing a qualitative narrative literature review framework, a systematic search protocol was carried out across major academic databases including Scopus, Web of Science, ERIC, and Google Scholar for studies published between 2022 and 2026. A total of 50 peer-reviewed articles were evaluated and analyzed through reflexive thematic analysis. The main findings indicate that teacher-centered pedagogy, exam-oriented curricula, severe foreign language speaking anxiety, working memory cognitive overload during real-time listening processing, and underdeveloped self-regulated learning strategies are the primary impediments to oral proficiency. Grounded in Communicative Language Teaching, Cognitive Load Theory, and Self-Regulated Learning, the study proposes sustainable reform pathways, including flipped classroom frameworks, mobile-assisted language learning, multimodal scaffolding, and performance-based continuous assessment.]]>
Copyrights © 2026
