TO POWERPOINT OR NOT TO POWERPOINT: STUDENT PRESENTATIONS IN THE FOREIGN LANGUAGE CLASSROOM
TO POWERPOINT OR NOT TO POWERPOINT: STUDENT PRESENTATIONS IN THE FOREIGN LANGUAGE CLASSROOM

Summary/Abstract: The purpose of this article is to investigate and compare foreign language learning from classroom presentations accompanied and not accompanied by PowerPoint. Data was collected via self-reported and peer evaluation questionnaires, presentation content recall, and student comments. Findings show that students perceived their own PowerPoint presentations to be of higher quality and easier to prepare than their presentations not using PowerPoint. Furthermore, it was found that students spend on the average an hour longer to prepare PowerPoint presentations. However, the data reveals that PowerPoint presentations are neither followed better by the audience, nor receive better evaluations, nor are recalled better by the presenting students. The preference for PowerPoint to accompany oral presentations can be explained by a desire to compensate for public speaking anxiety and insecurity in the foreign language. In conclusion, the findings of this study suggest that foreign language student presentations are more effective when not accompanied by PowerPoint.

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