Examining Student Anxiety in Group Work Presentations in English among English as a Foreign Language Students

Articles in Press
Authors
H. Nguyen Thi 1
T. Vu 2
1 School of Languages and Tourism, Hanoi University of Industry, Viet Nam
2 Hanoi Law University
Abstract
The growing emphasis on English proficiency in higher education in English as a foreign language in countries like Vietnam has increased English oral presentation assignments in English, particularly through group work. However, these group work presentations often generate significant anxiety among tertiary students. This study analyzed the reasons contributing to student anxiety in English group work presentations, especially emphasizing individual characteristics, group dynamics, and cultural influences that could affect the students' performance. The study utilized 385 representative survey questionnaires and semi-structured interviews with 45 university non-English major students in Vietnam to gather quantitative and qualitative data on their anxiety levels and coping strategies. It was discovered that students were most anxious due to language competency and their fear of their peers, as students appeared to be insecure when asked questions about their speaking ability, and they were worried about committing errors. Students' anxiety was also influenced by some group characteristics, such as the degree of group cohesion and support among peers. In particular, the student's cultural background, especially Vietnamese culture's emphasis on modesty and anxiety in public speaking, greatly added to the student's anxiety. Teachers might want to explore using scaffolded speaking tasks alongside other group management techniques and cultural sensitivity as a means of facilitating student anxiety and enhancing performance in group work presentations.

Keywords

Subjects

Aghajani, M., & Amanzadeh, H. (2017). The effect of anxiety on speaking ability: An experimental study on EFL learners. Journal of Applied Linguistics and Language Research, 4(7), 154-164. https://jallr.com/index.php/JALLR/article/view/690
Aliyu M. M., Korau S. M., & Basiru, A. (2019). Reducing undergraduates speaking anxiety through class interactions and oral presentations. Asian Journal of Contemporary Education, 3(1), 36-43. https://doi.org/10.18488/journal.137.2019.31.36.43
Alla, L., Tamila, D., Neonila, K., & Tamara, G. (2020). Foreign language anxiety: Classroom vs distance learning. Universal Journal of Educational Research, 8(12), 6684-6691. https://10.13189/ujer.2020.081233
Al-Nouh, N. A., Abdul-Kareem, M. M., & Taqi, H. A. (2015). EFL College Students' Perceptions of the Difficulties in Oral Presentation as a Form of Assessment. International Journal of Higher Education, 4(1), 136-150. https://doi.org/10.5430/ijhe.v4n1p136
Amalia, N. L., & Ma’mun, N. (2020). The Anxiety of EFL Students in Presentation. ELITE Journal, 2(1), 65-84. https://mail.elitejournal.org/index.php/ELITE/article/view/31
Ansari, M. S. (2015). Speaking Anxiety in ESL/EFL Classrooms: A Holistic Approach and Practical Study. International Journal of Educational Investigations, 2(4), 38-46. http://www.ijeionline.com/attachments/article/41/IJEIonline_Vol.2_No.4_2015-4-04.pdf
Avci, H. Adiguzel, T. (2017). A case study on mobile-blended collaborative learning in an English as a foreign language (EFL) context. The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 18(7), 1-15. https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v18i7.3261
Ayiz, A., & Tauchid, A. (2024). Mitigating public speaking anxiety among EFL learners through peer teaching: An evaluative survey study. Indonesian Journal of Education and Pedagogy, 1(3), 174-184. https://doi.org/10.61251/ijoep.v1i3.75
Barkley, E. F., Major, C. H., & Cross, K. P. (2014). Collaborative learning techniques: A handbook for college faculty. John Wiley & Sons.
Boudreau, C., MacIntyre, P. D., & Dewaele J.-M. (2018). Enjoyment and anxiety in second language communication: An idiodynamic approach. Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching, 8(1), 149-170. https://doi.org/10.14746/ssllt.2018.8.1.7
Bozkurt, B. N. & Aydin, S. (2023). The Impact of Collaborative Learning on Speaking Anxiety Among Foreign Language Learners in Online and Face-to-Face Environments. International Journal of Virtual and Personal Learning Environments (IJVPLE), 13(1), 1-16. https://doi.org/10.4018/IJVPLE.316973
Cronbach, L. J. (1951). Coefficient alpha and the internal structure of tests. Psychometrika, 16, 297-334. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02310555
Dewaele, J. (2013), The link between foreign language classroom anxiety and psychoticism, extraversion, and neuroticism among adult Bi- and multilinguals. Modern Language Journal, 97(3), 670-684. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4781.2013.12036.x
Dewey, D. P., Belnap, R. K., & Steffen, P. (2018). Anxiety: Stress, Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety, and Enjoyment During Study Abroad in Amman, Jordan. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 38, 140-161. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0267190518000107
Dörnyei, Z., & Dewaele, J.-M. (2022). Questionnaires in Second Language Research: Construction, Administration, and Processing (3rd ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003331926
Fadlan, A. (2020). Factors Causing Language Anxiety of EFL Students in Classroom Presentation. Jurnal Sinestesia, 10(1), 11-21. https://www.sinestesia.pustaka.my.id/journal/article/view/26
Fauzi, I. (2017). Improving Students’ Speaking Ability through Small-Group Discussion. Journal of ELT Research: The Academic Journal of Studies in English Language Teaching and Learning, 2(2), 130-138. https://doi.org/10.22236/JER_Vol2Issue2pp130-138
Gardihewa, P. N. (2021). The Impacts of Cooperative Learning on Demoting Communication Anxiety: With Special Reference to Engineering Undergraduates. Sri Lanka Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, 1(1), 13-22. https://doi.org/10.4038/sljssh.v1i1.26.
Gedikli, E. T., & Başbay, M. (2020). The impact of collaborative activities on EFL learners’ speaking anxiety levels and attitudes. Cukurova University Faculty of Education Journal, 49(2), 1184-1210. https://doi.org/10.14812/cuefd.649939
Hanifa, R. (2018). Factors generating anxiety when learning EFL speaking skills. Studies in English Language and Education, 5(2), 230-239. https://doi.org/10.24815/siele.v5i2.10932
Kamarulzaman, L. M., Hassan, J., & Abdul Ghani, M. T. (2020). Integrating collaborative learning in English proficiency classroom: Does it resolve students’ speaking anxiety? Sains Insani, 5(1), 200-204. https://doi.org/10.33102/sainsinsani.vol5no1.188
Kho, M. G. W., & Ting, S. H. (2023). Overcoming oral presentation anxiety: a systematic review of tertiary ESL/EFL students’ challenges and strategies. Qeios, C9AN5Z. https://doi.org/10.32388/C9AN5Z
Liu, M. C., Huang, Y. M. & Xu, Y. H. (2018). Effects of individual versus group work on learner autonomy and emotion in digital storytelling. Educational Technology Research and Development, 66(1), 1009-1028. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-018-9601-2
Mardhiyah, A., Jaya, A., & Uzer, Y. (2023). Students' Speaking Ability through Small Group Discussion. Esteem Journal of English Education Study Programme, 6(1), 81-86. https://doi.org/10.31851/esteem.v6i1.10216
Motallebzadeh, K., Kondori, A., & Kazemi, S. (2020). The Effect of Peer Feedback on EFL Learners' Classroom Anxiety. Language Teaching Research Quarterly, 18, 40-52. https://eurokd.com/doi/10.32038/ltrq.2020.18.03
Nasiba, A. M., & Sarafroz, N. N. (2022). Collaborative learning is a method of teaching and learning. ACADEMICIA: An International Multidisciplinary Research Journal, 12(5), 205-207. https://doi.org/10.5958/2249-7137.2022.00397.4
Nguyen, H. H., & Phan, M. H. (2024). A Review of Collaborative Learning Activities to Help Students Reduce Speaking Anxiety in EFL Classroom Settings. American Research Journal of Humanities & Social Science (ARJHSS), 7(3), 86-90. https://www.arjhss.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/I738690.pdf
Pan, C., & Zhang, X. (2023). A longitudinal study of foreign language anxiety and enjoyment. Language Teaching Research, 27(6), 1552-1575. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362168821993341
Ramadhany, D., & Rachman, D. (2024). The Variation on Speaking Anxiety in Presentation Based on Genders. Journal of English Language Learning, 8(1), 578-589. https://doi.org/10.31949/jell.v8i1.10278
Saito, K., Dewaele, J. M., Abe, M., & In’nami, Y. (2018). Motivation, emotion, learning experience, and second language comprehensibility development in classroom settings: A cross-sectional and longitudinal study. Language Learning, 68(3), 709-743. https://doi.org/10.1111/lang.12297
Siahpoosh, H., Asl, G. Z., & Khodadoust, J. (2020). The Effect of Cooperative Learning on Reducing Anxiety and Improving Reading Comprehension of EFL Learners. Journal of Applied Linguistics and Language Research, 7(2), 134-143. https://www.jallr.com/index.php/JALLR/article/view/1105/1267
Soleimanirad, N., & Shangarffam, N. (2016). The effect of collaborative reasoning discussion on EFL learners' anxiety. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 6(2), 337-345. https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.0602.15
Sohrabi, S., & Safa, M. A. (2020). Group Dynamic Assessment and EFL Learners’ Oral Production, Motivation, and Classroom Anxiety. English Teaching & Learning, 44, 353-376. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42321-020-00054-2
Srinivas, P. R. (2019). Collaborative learning in English language classrooms. ACADEMICIA: An International Multidisciplinary Research Journal, 9(2), 5-16. https://doi.org/10.5958/2249-7137.2019.00020.X
Susidamaiyanti, S. (2018). Reducing students’ foreign language anxiety in speaking class through cooperative learning. Jurnal As-Salam, 2(2), 83-91. https://doi.org/10.37249/as-salam.v2i2.38
Teimouri, Y., Goetze, J., & Plonsky, L. (2019). Second language anxiety and achievement: A meta-analysis. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 41(2), 363-387. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0272263118000311
Theriana, A. (2023). Understanding the strategies employed by EFL learners to overcome speaking anxiety in the classroom. NextGen Education Review Journal, 1(2), 33-44. https://doi.org/10.58660/nextgen.v1i2.38
Tombak, B. & Altun, S. (2016). The effect of cooperative learning: University example. Eurasian Journal of Educational Research, 64, 173-196. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1121882.pdf
Toyama, M., & Mori, K. (2017). Reducing Student Anxiety: The Effects of Collaborative Learning through Computer Conferencing. International Journal of Information and Education Technology, 7(12), 905-908. https://doi.org/10.18178/ijiet.2017.7.12.993
Zhang, X. (2019). Foreign language anxiety and foreign language performance: A meta-analysis. Modern Language Journal, 103(4), 763-781. https://doi.org/10.1111/modl.12590
Zhonggen, Y. (2016). The Impact of the E-Collaborative and Traditional Learning Styles on Learning Outcomes and Anxiety. International Journal of e-Collaboration (IJeC), 12(2), 27-47. https://doi.org/10.4018/IJeC.2016040103
Zheng, Y. B., Zhou, Y. X., Chen, X. D., & Ye, X. D. (2025). The influence of large language models as collaborative dialogue partners on EFL English oral proficiency and foreign language anxiety. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 1-27. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2025.2453191
Language Related Research

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 13 July 2025