TWO HEADS BETTER THAN ONE? PAIR PRESENTATION IN THE EFL CLASSROOM – A PANACEA FOR ANXIETY?

Authors

  • Zsuzsa Tóth Associate Professor, Institute of English and American Studies, Pázmány Péter Catholic University, Hungary

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.46827/ejfl.v5i5.3921

Keywords:

oral presentation, pair presentation, public speaking, affective factors, emotional reactions, positive and negative emotions, anxiety, task pleasantness, language learning experiences, EFL

Abstract

While the role of emotions in language learning is getting more and more attention in second language research, relatively few studies have investigated emotions related to specific classroom activities. This mixed-method practitioner research examined tertiary-level EFL learners’ affective reactions to a specific type of oral presentation: the pair presentation. The aim of the study was to examine whether making a classroom presentation feels to be a more positive and less anxiety-provoking experience if done in pairs rather than individually. 33 English Studies students were asked to choose a presentation partner and give a 10-20 minute joint presentation in one of their regular language development classes. Immediately after the talk, they were asked to indicate on two 10-point rating scales how pleasant/unpleasant they felt during the task and how much anxiety they experienced. Additionally, they were invited to reflect on their experiences in greater depth within 24 hours, responding to a set of open questions. The results of the study are discussed in comparison to those of an earlier investigation in the same setting, which focused on the emotional experience of individual presentation (Tóth, 2019). While the numerical findings suggest that presenting with a partner is neither less anxiety-provoking nor a substantially more positive experience, the post-task reflections show that most participants approve of the idea of pair presentation and only a minority of them prefer individual presentation. Providing insights into the complexities of learners’ emotional experiences and the practicalities of how they prepared for the joint presentation, the study sheds light on these conflicting results and has important implications for language teachers.

Article visualizations:

Hit counter

Author Biography

  • Zsuzsa Tóth, Associate Professor, Institute of English and American Studies, Pázmány Péter Catholic University, Hungary
    Zsuzsa Tóth is an EFL instructor and teacher trainer. She holds a PhD in Language Pedagogy (Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest) and an MSc in Applied Linguistics (University of Edinburgh). Her professional interests include individual differences in L2 learning, teacher education issues and EFL teaching methodology. Her main research area is the study of foreign language anxiety. She has authored the book Foreign Language Anxiety and the Advanced Language Learner (Cambridge Scholars).

References

Arnold, J. (2011). Attention to affect in language learning. Anglistik. International Journal of English Studies, 22/1, 11-22.

Arnold, J. (2021). Affective factors in language learning: making a difference. In M. Simons & T. Smits (Eds.) Language Education and Emotions. Research into Emotions and Language Learners, Language Teachers and Educational Processes (pp. 3-17). New York: Routledge.

Baker, S. C., & MacIntyre, P. D. (2000). The role of gender and immersion in communication and second language orientations. Language Learning, 50, 311-341.

Cohen, Y., & Norst, M. J. (1989). Fear, dependence and loss of self-esteem: Affective barriers in second language learning among adults. RELC Journal, 20, 61-77.

Dewaele, J.-M. (2015) On emotions in foreign language learning and use. The Language Teacher 39 (3), pp. 13-15.

Dewaele, J.-M. (2019). The effect of classroom emotions, attitudes toward English, and teacher behavior on willingness to communicate among English foreign language learners. Journal of Language and Social Psychology, 1–13.

Dewaele, J.-M. (2021). The emotional rollercoaster ride of foreign language learners and teachers: sources and interactions of classroom emotions. In M. Simons & T. Smits (Eds.) Language Education and Emotions. Research into Emotions and Language Learners, Language Teachers and Educational Processes (pp. 207-223). New York: Routledge.

Dewaele, J.-M. & MacIntyre, P. (2014). The two faces of Janus? Anxiety and enjoyment in the foreign language classroom. Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching, 4(2), 237–274.

Dewaele, J.-M., Witney, J., Saito, K., & Dewaele, L. (2018). Foreign language enjoyment and anxiety in the FL classroom: The effect of teacher and learner variables. Language Teaching Research, 22(6), 676-697. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362168817692161

Dörnyei, Z. (2001). Motivational Strategies in the Language Classroom. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Ewald, J. D. (2007). Foreign language learning anxiety in upper-level classes: Involving students as researchers. Foreign Language Annals, 40(1), 122-142.

Gkonou, C. (2013). A diary study on the causes of English language classroom anxiety. International Journal of English Studies, 13(1), 51-68.

Gkonou, C. (2017). Emerging Self-Identities and Emotion in Foreign Language Learning: A Narrative-Oriented Approach. ELT Journal, 71 (3), 381-383.

Horwitz, E. K., Horwitz, M. B., & Cope, J. (1986). Foreign language classroom anxiety. The Modern Language Journal, 70, 125-132.

Horwitz, E. K. (1996). Even teachers get the blues: Recognizing and alleviating non-native teachers' feelings of foreign language anxiety. Foreign Language Annals, 29, 365-372.

Horwitz, E. K. (2001). Language anxiety and achievement. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 21, 112-126.

Horwitz, E. K. (2017). On the misreading of Horwitz, Horwitz and Cope (1986) and the need to balance anxiety research and the experiences of anxious language learners. In C. Gkonou et al. (Eds.), New Insights into Language Anxiety: Theory, Research and Educational Implications (pp. 31-47). Bristol: Multilingual Matters.

Jin, Y., & Zhang, L. J. (2018). The dimensions of foreign classroom enjoyment and their effect on foreign language achievement. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. doi: 10.1080/13670050.2018.1526253.

Khajavy, G. H., MacIntyre, P. D., & Barabadi, E. (2018). Role of the emotions and classroom environment in willingness to communicate: Applying doubly latent multilevel analysis in second language acquisition research. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 40, 605-624. doi:10.1177/1362168817692161

Koch, A. S. & Terrel, T. D. (1991). Affective reactions of foreign language students to natural approach activities and teaching techniques. In E. K. Horwitz, & D. J. Young (Eds.), Language anxiety: From theory and research to classroom implications (pp. 109-127). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

Li, C. (2019). A positive psychology perspective on Chinese EFL students’ trait emotional intelligence, foreign language enjoyment and EFL learning achievement. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development. doi: 10.1080/01434632.2019.1614187.

MacIntyre, P. D. (1999). Language anxiety: A review of the research for language teachers. In D. J. Young (Ed.), Affect in Foreign Language and Second Language Learning: A Practical Guide to Creating a Low-Anxiety Classroom Atmosphere (pp. 24-45). Boston: McGraw-Hill.

MacIntyre, P. D. (2017). An overview of language anxiety research and trends in its development. In C. Gkonou et al. (Eds.), New Insights into Language Anxiety: Theory, Research and Educational Implications (pp. 156-177). Bristol: Multilingual Matters.

MacIntyre, P. & Gregersen, T. 2012. Affect: The role of language anxiety and other emotions in language learning. In S. Mercer et al. (Eds.), Psychology for Language Learning: Insights from Research, Theory and Practice (pp. 103-118). Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

Maykut, P., & Morehouse, R. (1994). Beginning qualitative research. A philosophic and practical guide. London: The Falmer Press.

Oatley, K., & Jenkins, J. M. (1996). Understanding emotions. Blackwell Publishing.

Price, M. L. (1991). The subjective experience of foreign language anxiety: Interviews with anxious students. In E. K. Horwitz, & D. J. Young (Eds.), Language anxiety: From theory and research to classroom implications (pp. 101-108). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

Resnik, P. & Dewaele, J-M. (2020). Trait emotional intelligence, positive and negative emotions in first and foreign language classes: A mixed-methods approach. System, 94, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2020.102324

Scovel, T. (2000). Learning new languages: A guide to second language acquisition. Boston, MA: Heinle & Heinle.

Simons, M. & Smits, T. (Eds.) (2021). Language Education and Emotions. Research into Emotions and Language Learners, Language Teachers and Educational Processes. New York: Routledge

Tóth, Zs. 2011. Foreign language anxiety and advanced EFL learners: An interview study. Working Papers in Language Pedagogy 5: 39–57.

Tóth, Zs. 2017. Exploring the Relationship between Anxiety and Advanced Hungarian EFL Learners’ Communication Experiences in the Target Language: A Study of High- vs. Low-anxious Learners. In C. Gkonou et al. (Eds.), New Insights into Language Anxiety: Theory, Research and Educational Implications (pp. 156–177). Bristol: Multilingual Matters.

Tóth, Zs. (2019). ’Under the Magnifying Glass’: Students’ Perspectives on Oral Presentations and Anxiety in the EFL Classroom. European Journal of Foreign Language Teaching, 4(2). https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3370709

Ushioda, E. (2012). Motivation: L2 learning as a special case? In S. Mercer et al. (Eds.), Psychology for Language Learning: Insights from Research, Theory and Practice (pp. 58-73). Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

Williams, M. (1994). Motivation in foreign and second language learning: An interactive

perspective. Educational Psychology, 91, 76–97.

Williams, M., Mercer, S. & Ryan, S. (2015). Exploring Psychology in Language Learning and Teaching. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Yashima, T., MacIntyre, P., & Ikeda, M. (2018). Situated willingness to communicate in an L2: Interplay of individual characteristics and context. Language Teaching Research, 22, 115-137.

Young, D. J. (1990). An investigation of students’ perspectives on anxiety and speaking. Foreign Language Annals 23, 539-553.

Young, D. J. (1991). Creating a low-anxiety classroom environment: What does language

anxiety research suggest? The Modern Language Journal, 75, 426-439.

Young, D. J. (Ed.). (1999). Affect in Foreign Language and Second Language Learning: A Practical Guide to Creating a Low-Anxiety Classroom Atmosphere. Boston: McGraw-Hill.

Downloads

Published

2021-09-07

Issue

Vol. 5 No. 5 (2021)

Section

Articles

License

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

 

  1. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.

 

  1. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.

 

  1. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).