Bridging the Gap between Reading and Presenting: Examining Psychological Constraints and Adaptive Coping Strategies in EFL Academic Presentations
Abstract
Why do students who understand effective presentation practices continue to rely on reading from slides? This study investigates the cognitive, affective, and strategic mechanisms underlying this discrepancy in EFL academic presentations. Using a convergent parallel mixed-methods design, data were collected from 16 Indonesian undergraduate students through Likert-scale questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. The findings generate three key contributions. First, text dependency is reconceptualized not as a performance deficit but as a performance-stabilization strategy, enabling learners to manage fluency and reduce anxiety under real-time communicative pressure. Second, the study identifies a persistent affective–cognitive disjunction, in which anxiety operates independently of content mastery and overrides metacognitive intention during performance. Third, the study documents the emergence of AI-mediated coping, where students use generative AI tools as real-time cognitive extensions during moments of uncertainty, revealing a previously untheorized form of distributed performance regulation. Taken together, these findings reconceptualize the knowing–doing gap as a multidimensional performance regulation system shaped by the dynamic interaction of cognition, affect, and technology. Building on this integration, the study proposes the PACE Framework (Psychological–Affective–Cognitive–Ecological AI) as a pedagogical model for supporting adaptive and authentic communication in AI-mediated learning environments. The study contributes to the extension of Communication Apprehension theory into digital contexts and advances a distributed cognition perspective on L2 oral performance. Pedagogically, it highlights the need for integrated approaches that address not only speaking skills, but also affective regulation, cognitive load management, and ethical AI use in academic communication.
Keywords
References
Akram, Amina, and Tooba Ahmed. (2025). “THE IMPACT OF ANXIETY AND COGNITIVE LOAD ON ENGLISH SPEAKING PERFORMANCE AT THE UNIVERSITY LEVEL.” Contemporary Journal of Social Science Review 3(4):1633–45.
Alnahidh, Faye, and Sultan Altalhab. (2020). “The Level and Sources of Foreign Language Speaking Anxiety among Saudi EFL University Students.” Advances in Language and Literary Studies 11(1):55–64.
Amri, Khaeril. (2020). “Factors Causing Students’ Reticence in EFL Class.”
Archer-Kuhn, Beth et al. (2021). “Transformative Learning in Field Education: Students Bridging the Theory/Practice Gap.” The British Journal of Social Work 51(7):2419–38.
Braun, Virginia, and Victoria Clarke. (2006). “Using Thematic Analysis in Psychology.” Qualitative Research in Psychology 3(2):77–101. doi:https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa.
Chen, Chih-Hung et al. (2022). “Influences of Integrating Dynamic Assessment into a Speech Recognition Learning Design to Support Students’ English Speaking Skills, Learning Anxiety and Cognitive Load.” Educational Technology & Society 25(1):1–14.
Chen, I. Ju et al. (2022). “Relationship between Language Anxiety and English Speaking Performance.” English Language Teaching 15(11):78–83.
Donate, Ángela. (2022). “Task Anxiety, Cognition and Performance on Oral Tasks in L2 Spanish.” Journal of Spanish Language Teaching 9(1):1–18.
Dwivedi, Yogesh K. et al. (2023). “Opinion Paper: ‘So What If ChatGPT Wrote It?’ Multidisciplinary Perspectives on Opportunities, Challenges and Implications of Generative Conversational AI for Research, Practice and Policy.” International Journal of Information Management 71:102642. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2023.102642.
Kasneci, Enkelejda et al. (2023). “ChatGPT for Good? On Opportunities and Challenges of Large Language Models for Education.” Learning and Individual Differences 103:102274. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2023.102274.
Liu, Meihua, and Jane Jackson. (2009). “Reticence in Chinese EFL Students at Varied Proficiency Levels.” TESL Canada Journal 65–81.
Mahesh Deelip, Kamalja et al. (2016). “Modern Approaches and Methods in Teaching English Language.” International Journal of Research and Innovation 02(03):6–13.
Phillips, Heather Nadia, and J. Condy. (2023). “Pedagogical Dilemma in Teacher Education: Bridging the Theory Practice Gap.” South African Journal of Higher Education 37(2):201–17.
Portugal-Toro, Arlene et al. (2025). “Cognitive and Affective Processes in Second Language Oral Communication: A Mixed Methods Research.” P. 1571099 in Frontiers in Education. Vol. 10. Frontiers Media SA.
Rycroft‐Smith, Lucy. 2022. “Knowledge Brokering to Bridge the Research‐practice Gap in Education: Where Are We Now?” Review of Education 10(1):e3341.
Shang, Yang, and Lingling Ma. (2024). “Classroom Anxiety, Learning Motivation, and English Achievement of Chinese College Students: The Mediating Role of Self-Efficacy.” Acta Psychologica 251:104550.
Sun, Peijian Paul. (2023). “The Influence of Cognitive, Affective, and Sociocultural Individual Differences on L2 Chinese Speech Performance: A Multiple Indicators Multiple Causes Approach.” Journal of Psycholinguistic Research 52(1):217–39.
Sweller, John. (2023). “Cognitive Load Theory: What We Learn and How We Learn.” Pp. 137–52 in Learning, design, and technology: An international compendium of theory, research, practice, and policy. Springer.
Teng, Mark Feng. (2024). “Understanding Anxiety, Self-Efficacy, and Motivation in Online English Learning.” TESL-EJ 27(4):n4.
Wu, Huashan. (2019). “Reticence in the EFL Classroom: Voices from Students in a Chinese University.” International Journal of Applied Linguistics and English Literature 8(6):114–25.
Zhang, Weiwei, and Lawrence Jun Zhang. (2022). “Understanding Assessment Tasks: Learners’ and Teachers’ Perceptions of Cognitive Load of Integrated Speaking Tasks for TBLT Implementation.” System 111:102951.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.31004/jele.v11i3.2436
Refbacks
- There are currently no refbacks.
Copyright (c) 2026 Arif Alexander Bastian, Bungsudi Bungsudi, Eka Pratiwi Yunianti
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
