スピーキングスキルと自信を育てる : 英語コミュニケーションコースにおける口頭発表

This study explores Japanese university students’ perceptions of oral presentations in English, online and in the classroom, during an English speaking skills class at a Japanese national university. It examines how students develop presentation skills through weekly online research in groups as well as mid-term and final presentations, and investigates the challenges and benefits of presenting in English. The participants were three instructors and 315 Japanese students. Student data were collected with a questionnaire at the end of the course, using a 4-point Likert scale and open-ended questions. Survey data were complemented by teachers’ reflective notes on the course and students’ performance. Data were analyzed using both quantitative and qualitative methods. The student data indicate that eye contact, overcoming nervousness, and asking questions to the presenter were the main challenges for students. Additionally, it was found that students tended to feel more anxious about presentations by the end of the course when there was a combination of online and in-person classes. In contrast, students who participated in only in-person presentations were more confident during their final presentation. In relation to the experiences of the instructors, insights could be drawn from comparing the ways in which presentations were used in class. Because students tended to find in-class presentations more challenging in terms of anxiety, having mid-term and end-of-term presentations in class seemed to be a good way of building confidence. Weekly presentations needed to be completed quickly, given time constraints, making it more efficient to deliver them without slides.