ESL Students' Language Anxiety in In-Class Oral Presentations

Author

Yusi ChenFollow

Date of Award

2015

Degree Name

English

College

College of Liberal Arts

Type of Degree

M.A.

Document Type

Thesis

First Advisor

Ryan Angus

Second Advisor

Hyo-Chang Hong

Third Advisor

Mimi Li

Abstract

This case study aims to explore connections between ESL students’ speaking-in-class anxiety and their presentation performance, factors causing oral anxiety during presentations, and strategies to regulate L2 students’ speaking anxiety in presentations. Findings of this research contribute to the investigation of speaking-in-class anxiety from non-English major L2 students. Three Chinese ESL students enrolled in the INTO program at Marshall University individually gave two presentations in speaking classes. Triangulated data sources were collected to delve into three research questions. The results suggest that L2 students’ anxiety forms mental blocks during presentations, but it has less influence on their presentation performance. Based on this relationship, internal factors from participants and environmental factors from their physical contexts causing language anxiety are investigated with relevant possible coping strategies. These findings further shed some pedagogical insights on presentation task designs, teachers’ scaffolding of ESL students’ presentation skills, and students’ self-regulation strategies on their oral anxiety.

Subject(s)

English language - Study and teaching - Foreign speakers.

Speeches, addresses, etc.--Study and teaching.

Recommended Citation

Chen, Yusi, "ESL Students' Language Anxiety in In-Class Oral Presentations" (2015). Theses, Dissertations and Capstones. 962.
https://mds.marshall.edu/etd/962