The effect of project-based approach on chinese university efl learners’ english public speaking performance and anxiety / Shi Chuanfang

Center for Modern Language

Thesis (Doctor of Philosophy) -- Universiti Malaysia Pahang - 2025

Center for Modern Language

The remarkable acceleration of globalization has escalated the indispensability of proficient English public speaking skills. This shift has momentous implications for learners of English as a foreign language (EFL), encouraging active participation in language exercises like public speaking. These activities not only enabled full enrichment of their acquired language but also nurtured their core disciplinary abilities. This research was situated within the theoretical framework of Social Constructivism Theory, Input Hypothesis, Social Anxiety Theory, and Output Hypothesis to justify employing a project-based teaching and learning approach as a tool for refining the English public speaking performance and reducing public speaking anxiety of university EFL learners. By employing an explanatory sequential design, an integrative approach of both quantitative and qualitative methodologies, the study aimed to elucidate the effect of project-based approach by addressing four research questions. This spanned from robust data collection and in-depth analysis to thought-provoking discussions on the findings and their implications. In the data collection process, pretest and post-test were employed for collecting quantitative data by using the Rubrics of Performance and the English Public Speaking Anxiety Scale, and the qualitative data were collected from focus group interview with Interview Protocol. The quantitative data were collected from both the control and experimental groups, each consisting of 30 research participants, they were selected using a purposive sampling method from School of Foreign Languages in Hebei Minzu Normal University. Qualitative data were obtained from the 20-volunteer research participants as the interviewees. These two types of data were analyzed using Wilcoxon Signed-rank Test, Mann-Whitney U Test, Spearman Rank Correlation and thematic analysis respectively. The statistical results demonstrated that there was a significant improvement in Chinese university EFL learners’ English public speaking performance and a significant reduction in their public speaking anxiety. Another group of results showed the statistically significant negative correlation between public speaking performance and anxiety. Meanwhile, the qualitative findings revealed the EFL learners’ positive perceptions of integrating project-based approach into English public speaking classes, especially in relation to its effect on reducing their public speaking anxiety. To summarize, the study advocated a comprehensive pedagogical route, the project-based teaching and learning approach, that optimized the proficiency of university EFL learners’ English public speaking and reduces their anxiety level. In a broader academic context, it underlined the necessity for a cohesive, theory-informed approach to teaching English public speaking skills that seamlessly merged applied language usage and anxiety reduction among learners, providing empirical support for English educational reform in China. This offered practical strategies for educators and contributes theoretically to understanding anxiety reduction in language learning, with potential application in broader EFL curriculum reform.