INVESTIGATING L2 ORAL COMMUNICATION ANXIETY AMONG FIJIAN UNDERGRADUATES: A MIXED METHODS STUDY ON STUDENT PERSPECTIVES

Anjeline Mala, Nushrat Azam, Jasbir Karneil Singh

Abstract


This mixed-methods study explores in-class Oral Presentation Anxiety (OPA) among Fijian undergraduates of English for Academic Purposes (EAP) at a university. Bridging a significant gap in research specifically related to English as an Additional Language (EAL) students, this critical study addresses the limitations of assessing Pacific Island contexts. With an explanatory sequential design, this study first measures the level of anxiety in 60 individuals with the Personal Report of Public Speaking Anxiety (PRPSA) before combining these data with qualitative insights through semi-structured interviews from high- and low-anxiety groups. Quantitatively, the OPA emerges largely from physiological and affective means. Qualitative findings suggest that high-anxiety students experience fear of negative social evaluation and perceived linguistic inadequacy, whereas low-anxiety students were found to engage in cognitive reframing and proactive coping strategies to cope with these pressures. This study adds to the literature by demonstrating how qualitative findings explain quantitative variance in OPA and offering a pedagogical framework that acknowledges the psychological and physiological needs of EAL learners.

Keywords


EAL, oral presentation, public speaking anxiety, language, higher education, coping strategies

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References


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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.46827/ejfl.v10i1.6682

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