The Effects on Japanese Students’ Motivation of L2 Presentations in Lower Intermediate and Intermediate Level College Courses

The aim of this paper was to examine the use of group based presentations to discover what effects it had on the motivation of students of lower intermediate and intermediate level English ability at a vocational college in Northern Japan. The study examined the differences in reported motivation levels before and after the students took a presentation skills course during which they researched, prepared and conducted presentations in English (L2). Data were collected by pre- and post-treatment questionnaires. The findings suggest that learner anxiety about conducting L2 presentations can be overcome, and that lower intermediate students’ interest in and appreciation of the relevance of L2 presentations to their language learning journey can significantly increase if certain measures are taken during the course. The intermediate students maintained their reported initial levels of motivation following completion of the course. Thus L2 presentations are a useful task to include in college courses in Japan.