Overcoming Oral Presentation Anxiety: A Systematic Review of Tertiary ESL/EFL Students’ Challenges and Strategies

Abstract

This systematic review addresses the widespread fear of oral presentations among ESL/EFL students at the tertiary level. Based on a comprehensive review of academic literature from 2016 to 2023, it identifies and summarises the factors contributing to such anxiety and evaluates effective intervention strategies to alleviate it. Key factors include environmental, psychological, language and resource challenges. Environmental constraints include the complexity of managing large classes and insufficient practice opportunities, while psychological elements include stress, motivation and nervousness. Linguistic challenges relate to aspects such as intonation and the influence of students’ mother tongue. In addition, the lack of authentic teaching materials and the limitations of the curriculum highlights resource-related problems. Various intervention strategies were highlighted, focusing on technology-enhanced teaching methods, assessment techniques and student-centred approaches. These strategies aim to promote oral presentation skills while reducing associated anxiety. Significantly, the educator’s role in creating a conducive learning environment and the need to integrate technology into modern educational environments was emphasised. While the findings offer valuable insights, they are often context-specific or regionally limited. Therefore, an all-encompassing solution remains elusive. The review highlights the urgency of addressing oral presentation anxiety as it affects students’ academic and career trajectories. It argues for a more nuanced, holistic approach that combines traditional and technologically advanced methods to meet student’s diverse needs and challenges in the globalised educational landscape of the 21st century.