Global Trends and Research Aims for English Academic Oral Presentations

Abstract

English has become the de facto language for communication in academia in many parts of the world, but English language learners often lack the language resources to make effective oral academic presentations. However, English for academic purposes (EAP) research is beginning to provide valuable insights into this emerging field. This literature review is a systematic overview of the research on EAP oral monologues and EAP monologues that employ learning technology (LT). Three investigative aims were addressed in the research: linguistic description of the final oral presentation, the learning processes including learner attitudes toward the process, and LT for oral monologues. Major findings included linguistic and discourse differences among learners, experts, and native speakers; the need for specific guidelines and focused training; the role of multimodal resources; and the pedagogical affordances of the LT. Identified challenges, future research directions, and instructional suggestions are provided for instructors and researchers.