Speaker
Description
Negativity bias can reduce Japanese university EFL students’ confidence and willingness to speak, especially in presentation classes where fear of mistakes and overfocus on accuracy are common. This practical session looks at how this affects student participation and what teachers can do about it. Participants will gain ideas for giving more positive feedback, strengthening peer interaction, and building supportive communities of learning that encourage risk-taking and confidence in spoken English.
Abstract
Background: Negativity bias — the tendency to focus more on mistakes than successes — has long been discussed in psychological research (Baumeister et al., 2001). In language learning, this often shows up as anxiety or self-criticism, which can reduce students’ willingness to speak (Attia & Algazo, 2025). In Japanese university EFL classrooms, this is especially visible in presentation classes where students must speak in front of their peers. Students may freeze, worry about making mistakes, focus too much on grammar, or fixate on performing perfectly. As a result, they may hold back, limiting their chances to practice and improve their English (Masutani, 2021). Understanding how this bias works is important for teachers seeking to increase student participation and confidence in spoken English (Dörnyei & Ryan, 2015).
Contribution: This practice-oriented session explores how negativity bias shows up in Japanese EFL presentation classes and how it affects students, often limiting their participation. Drawing on research in psychology and language education, this presentation introduces practical strategies teachers can use to reduce the impact of negativity bias in the classroom and foster supportive communities of learning where students feel safe to take risks, support one another, and develop confidence together.
Outcome: Parrticipants will gain concrete ideas they can apply immediately in their own classes, including ways to frame feedback more positively, and simple methods to strengthen peer interaction. These strategies aim to increase student confidence and create more supportive, effective EFL learning communities in Japanese university classrooms.
Short summary
Negativity bias can reduce Japanese university EFL students’ confidence and willingness to speak, especially in presentation classes where fear of mistakes and overfocus on accuracy are common. This practical session looks at how this affects student participation and what teachers can do about it. Participants will gain ideas for giving more positive feedback, strengthening peer interaction, and building supportive communities of learning that encourage risk-taking and confidence in spoken English.
Keywords
negativity bias
presentations
participation
communities of learning
References
Attia, S., & Algazo, M. (2025). Foreign language anxiety in EFL classrooms: Teachers’ perceptions, challenges, and strategies for mitigation. Frontiers in Education.
Baumeister, R. F., et al. (2001). Bad is stronger than good. Review of General Psychology, 5(4), 323–370.
Dörnyei, Z., & Ryan, S. (2015). The psychology of the language learner revisited. Routledge.
Masutani, Y. (2021). The foreign language anxiety of Japanese EFL learners: Focusing on anxiety when speaking English. LET Kansai Chapter Collected Papers.
| Title | Negativity bias and the classroom: Tips for helping our students learn. |
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