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COLLABORATIVE SPEAKING TASKS AND THEIR ROLE IN

REDUCING THE AFFECTIVE FILTER IN EFL LEARNERS

LAS TAREAS COLABORATIVAS DE EXPRESIÓN ORAL Y SU PAPEL

EN LA REDUCCIÓN DEL FILTRO AFECTIVO EN LOS ESTUDIANTES

DE INGLÉS COMO LENGUA EXTRANJERA

Yajaira Natali Padilla Padilla¹, Edgar Eduardo Heredia-Arboleda²

{yajaira.padilla@unach.edu.ec¹, eheredia@unach.edu.ec²}

Fecha de recepción: 17/08/2026

/ Fecha de aceptación: 10/09/2026

/ Fecha de publicación: 16/09/2026

RESUMEN: El aprendizaje del inglés como lengua extranjera se ve influido por factores

afectivos que pueden afectar la participación y la producción oral. Aunque estudios previos

han examinado la relación entre el aprendizaje colaborativo y los factores afectivos en la

enseñanza de lenguas extranjeras, la literatura existente sigue siendo fragmentada en cuanto

a la contribución específica de las tareas colaborativas de expresión oral para reducir el filtro

afectivo y mejorar la disposición de los estudiantes a comunicarse. Por lo tanto, se requiere

una síntesis sistemática de la evidencia disponible para aclarar estas relaciones e identificar

las condiciones bajo las cuales las tareas orales colaborativas pueden ser más efectivas. Esta

revisión sistemática de la literatura tuvo como objetivo analizar el papel de las tareas

colaborativas de expresión oral en la reducción del filtro afectivo entre los estudiantes que

aprenden inglés como lengua extranjera, considerando su relación con la ansiedad al hablar,

la confianza comunicativa, la participación y la disposición a comunicarse. Se llevó a cabo una

revisión sistemática de la literatura de los estudios publicados entre 2021 y 2026, siguiendo

las directrices PRISMA 2020. La búsqueda se llevó a cabo en Scopus, Web of Science,

ScienceDirect, SpringerLink, Taylor & Francis, ERIC, PubMed y Google Scholar, y la información

se organizó mediante una matriz de análisis bibliográfico y una síntesis narrativa y temática.

Se identificaron diez estudios directamente relevantes. Los resultados mostraron una

tendencia general hacia la reducción de la ansiedad lingüística y la ansiedad al hablar

mediante el trabajo en grupo, el aprendizaje cooperativo, la interacción entre pares y la

repetición de tareas orales, así como mejoras en la confianza comunicativa, la participación y

la disposición a comunicarse. Sin embargo, los efectos no fueron uniformes y dependieron de

factores como la composición del grupo, la dificultad de las tareas, la modalidad de enseñanza

y la retroalimentación. Se concluye que las tareas colaborativas de expresión oral pueden

ayudar a reducir las barreras afectivas y fortalecer la participación comunicativa,

¹Universidad Nacional de Chimborazo (UNACH), https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9355-7163

²Universidad Nacional de Chimborazo (UNACH), https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4099-9811

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especialmente cuando se llevan a cabo en grupos pequeños con apoyo entre compañeros,

retroalimentación constructiva y tolerancia a los errores.

Palabras clave: tareas colaborativas, expresión oral, filtro afectivo, ansiedad lingüística, inglés

como lengua extranjera, disposición para comunicarse

ABSTRACT: Learning English as a foreign language is influenced by affective factors that can

affect participation and oral production. Although previous studies have examined the

relationship between collaborative learning and affective factors in foreign language

education, the existing literature remains fragmented regarding the specific contribution of

collaborative speaking tasks to reducing the affective filter and improving students’

willingness to communicate. Therefore, a systematic synthesis of the available evidence is

needed to clarify these relationships and identify the conditions under which collaborative

oral tasks may be most effective. This systematic literature review aimed to analyze the role

of collaborative speaking tasks in reducing the affective filter among students learning English

as a foreign language, considering their relationship with speaking anxiety, communicative

confidence, participation, and willingness to communicate. A systematic literature review was

conducted of studies published between 2021 and 2026, following the PRISMA 2020

guidelines. The search was conducted in Scopus, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, SpringerLink,

Taylor & Francis, ERIC, PubMed, and Google Scholar, and the information was organized using

a literature analysis matrix and a narrative and thematic synthesis. Ten directly relevant

studies were identified. The results showed a general trend toward a reduction in language

anxiety and speaking anxiety through group work, cooperative learning, peer interaction, and

repetition of oral tasks, as well as improvements in communicative confidence, participation,

and willingness to communicate. However, the effects were not uniform and depended on

factors such as group composition, task difficulty, teaching modality, and feedback. It is

concluded that collaborative speaking tasks can help reduce affective barriers and strengthen

communicative participation, especially when carried out in small groups with peer support,

constructive feedback, and tolerance for errors.

Keywords: collaborative tasks, speaking, affective filter, language anxiety, English as a foreign

language, willingness to communicate

INTRODUCTION

Learning English as a Foreign Language (EFL) does not depend exclusively on the development

of linguistic knowledge, but also on cognitive, social, and affective factors that shape how

students participate in communicative situations. Among these factors, anxiety associated with

the use of a foreign language has become particularly relevant due to its relationship with oral

participation, perceived competence, and willingness to communicate. Recent evidence has

shown that students may experience nervousness, insecurity, fear of making mistakes, and

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concern about evaluation by peers or teachers when they must use English orally, even when

they possess sufficient linguistic knowledge to understand the course content (1).

Anxiety about communicating in a foreign language may manifest as difficulties in producing

messages, cognitive blocks, reduced participation, and avoidance of communicative situations.

In Japanese EFL students, for example, moderate to high levels of anxiety when speaking English

both inside and outside the classroom were identified, highlighting the need to provide

continuous support and conditions that support the development of communicative confidence

(2). Likewise, research conducted with university students has found an association between

speaking anxiety and variables related to linguistic performance, indicating that the affective

dimension is a relevant component of second language acquisition (3).

In this context, the concept of the affective filter is particularly pertinent for understanding the

difficulties that may appear during oral production. From a perspective applied to language

teaching, a high level of anxiety, fear, or insecurity may act as a barrier that limits the student’s

willingness to use the language and take advantage of the available interaction opportunities.

Recent literature has related language anxiety to lower willingness to communicate (WTC), both

in face-to-face and digital contexts. A study conducted with 290 university EFL students found

that foreign language classroom anxiety had a significant effect on willingness to communicate,

making it one of the relevant factors associated with students’ communicative participation (4).

This issue becomes particularly important when learning activities are primarily focused on

grammatical content, individual exercises, or assessment practices focused on linguistic

accuracy, because these contexts may provide limited opportunities to practice the language

spontaneously. Speaking requires interaction, negotiation of meaning, immediate production,

and the ability to respond to interlocutors; therefore, safe communicative environments may

favor the participation of students who experience insecurity or fear of using English. In this

regard, research on anxiety in task-based language teaching has indicated that the

characteristics of tasks, their modality, and the level of interaction may be related to anxiety

experienced during language production. A synthesis of 35 studies identified anxiety as a

relevant variable in task performance and highlighted the importance of analyzing its

relationship with participation, engagement, and the characteristics of communicative activities

(5).

Among the pedagogical alternatives that may help create favorable conditions for speaking are

collaborative tasks, understood as activities in which two or more students work together to

achieve a communicative objective or address a specific situation through the use of the target

language. This type of organization changes traditional participation dynamics, because oral

production is not necessarily immediately directed toward the whole group or exclusively

toward the teacher. Peer interaction may generate additional opportunities to practice

vocabulary, linguistic structures, pronunciation, and communicative strategies within a shared

context.

Recent empirical evidence supports the relevance of this strategy. An experimental study

conducted with foreign language students examined the effect of collaborative activities on

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speaking anxiety in face-to-face and virtual environments. The results showed changes in

certain components of anxiety after the collaborative intervention, although no significant

differences were found between the face-to-face and virtual environments with respect to the

overall effect of the intervention (6). These findings suggest that collaboration may be a

relevant pedagogical resource, although its effect on anxiety is not necessarily uniform and may

depend on the specific characteristics of the activities and the learning context.

In addition, recent research has specifically analyzed collaborative oral task repetition as a

strategy for reducing language anxiety. This approach is based on the premise that progressive

familiarity with a task may decrease the pressure associated with spontaneous production and

facilitate safer participation. Studies on task complexity, in turn, have demonstrated that the

characteristics of oral activities may be related to the anxiety experienced during production in

a second language, which reinforces the need to carefully consider the design of communicative

tasks (7).

The relationship between collaboration, anxiety, and participation may also be understood

through the concept of willingness to communicate. Recent evidence has demonstrated that

communicative anxiety is an important variable in explaining students’ willingness to use a

second language. In a model developed with EFL students, anxiety in face-to-face and digital

communication was related to willingness to communicate, while variables such as perceived

communicative competence and learning experiences also played a relevant role.

From this perspective, collaborative speaking tasks may provide a pedagogical means of

fostering interactive environments characterized by greater peer support, distributed

participation, and repeated opportunities for linguistic production. However, collaboration by

itself does not guarantee a decrease in anxiety. Group organization, task type, difficulty level,

feedback, tolerance for error, and the socio-affective climate of the classroom may shape how

students experience oral activities. Recent research on teachers’ strategies for reducing

speaking anxiety has indicated the importance of positive feedback, recognition of effort,

collaborative activities, and task-based learning for creating more favorable conditions for

communication (7).

Consequently, it is necessary to examine more closely the relationship between collaborative

speaking tasks and the reduction of the affective filter in students learning English as a foreign

language. Analyzing this relationship may contribute to understanding how certain pedagogical

practices may favor not only the development of communicative competence, but also

emotional conditions that allow more active and secure participation. Moreover, the available

evidence reports findings that are not always consistent; therefore, it is necessary to continue

to examine the conditions under which collaborative activities may effectively contribute to

decreasing anxiety and fostering oral communication.

Therefore, this article aimed to analyze the role of collaborative speaking tasks in the reduction

of the affective filter in students learning English as a foreign language, with particular

consideration of their relationship with speaking anxiety, communicative confidence,

participation, and willingness to use the language. The review is based on the assumption that

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the systematic incorporation of collaborative oral activities, accompanied by a supportive

environment and tolerance for error, may generate favorable conditions for decreasing the

affective barriers that limit oral production in English. This perspective allows the affective

component to be situated as an integral component of the teaching-learning process and not as

a secondary variable in relation to strictly linguistic mastery.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Research design

The study was conducted as a systematic literature review aimed at identifying, analyzing, and

synthesizing the available scientific evidence on the role of collaborative speaking tasks in the

reduction of the affective filter among students learning English as a foreign language (EFL). The

review was structured according to the recommendations of the Preferred Reporting Items for

Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020, to promote transparency and

reproducibility in the process of identification, selection, and analysis of the included

publications. PRISMA 2020 updated the recommendations for the presentation of systematic

reviews and established a 25-item checklist, in addition to flow diagrams for representing the

study selection process (8).

A qualitative-descriptive approach was adopted because the selected evidence was examined

through a narrative and thematic synthesis, considering the methodological characteristics of

the studies, the collaborative strategies used, the manifestations of the affective filter, and the

main results related to anxiety, confidence, participation, and willingness to communicate in

English. A meta-analysis was not conducted because of the expected heterogeneity among the

designs, instruments, populations, educational contexts, and variables used in the identified

studies.

Research question

The review was guided by the following research question:

What is the available evidence on the role of collaborative speaking tasks in the reduction of

the affective filter in students learning English as a foreign language?

Based on this question, four dimensions of analysis were established: collaborative speaking

tasks, affective filter, language anxiety, and participation/willingness to communicate.

Search strategy

The literature search was structured using a combination of keywords and Boolean operators.

Terms related to the main variables of the study were considered in both English and Spanish

because the specialized research on teaching English as a foreign language is predominantly

published in English.

The main search expressions were:

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“collaborative speaking tasks” OR “collaborative oral tasks” OR “collaborative learning” OR “pair

work” OR “group work”

combined with:

“affective filter” OR “language anxiety” OR “speaking anxiety” OR “foreign language anxiety”

OR “willingness to communicate” OR “communication apprehension”

and with:

“EFL learners” OR “EFL students” OR “English as a foreign language”.

The searches were conducted across databases and academic sources recognized as relevant to

educational sciences and applied linguistics, including Scopus, Web of Science, ScienceDirect,

SpringerLink, Taylor & Francis, ERIC, PubMed, and Google Scholar, prioritizing scientific articles

published in peer-reviewed academic journals.

Search period

Publications from 2021–2026 were prioritized to ensure that the review reflected the most

recent scientific evidence on collaborative tasks, language anxiety, speaking, and affective

variables related to the learning of English as a foreign language.

Nevertheless, earlier theoretical or methodological sources were considered when they were

essential for grounding central concepts of the study, particularly the affective filter theory and

the methodological principles of systematic reviews. The recent literature formed the primary

basis of the evidence synthesis.

Inclusion criteria

The following criteria were established to determine the eligibility of the publications:

1.

2.

3.

4.

Scientific articles published between 2021 and 2026.

Studies published in peer-reviewed academic journals.

Research focused on students or learners of English as a foreign or second language.

Studies that analyzed collaborative tasks, collaborative learning, pair work, group work, or

interactive oral activities.

5.

Research that addressed language anxiety, speaking anxiety, affective filter,

communicative confidence, willingness to communicate, or oral participation.

Articles with full text available.

6.

7.

8.

9.

Studies published in Spanish or English.

Research that presented results related to any of the central variables of the review.

Empirical studies, relevant reviews, and academic works with clearly described

methodology.

Exclusion criteria

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The following were excluded:

1.

2.

3.

Duplicate publications retrieved from different databases.

Studies that were not related to foreign language learning.

Research focused exclusively on written skills, reading, or listening comprehension

without a connection to speaking.

4.

Studies that addressed general anxiety without a link to learning or using a foreign

language.

5.

6.

Documents without identifiable methodology.

Editorials, letters to the editor, opinions, non-systematic reviews, and popular

publications.

7.

8.

Works whose full text was not available.

Studies published outside the established period, except for justified theoretical or

methodological sources.

9.

Publications that did not allow a relationship to be identified with collaborative tasks, oral

interaction, or the affective factors studied.

Study selection process

The selection process was conducted in four stages: identification, screening, eligibility, and

inclusion. Initially, the records obtained through the different search strategies were identified.

Duplicates were subsequently removed and titles and abstracts were reviewed to discard those

documents that were not directly related to the research objective.

In a second stage, the full texts of potentially relevant publications were analyzed. In this phase,

the previously established inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied. Finally, the studies that

met all the criteria were included in the qualitative synthesis.

The complete process will be represented by means of a PRISMA 2020 flow diagram, in which

the number of records identified, duplicates eliminated, studies excluded during screening,

documents evaluated through full text, reasons for exclusion, and final number of included

investigations will be specified. The use of the diagram will provide a transparent representation

of the process used to obtain the documentary sample.

Information extraction and organization

To systematize the data, a document analysis matrix was designed. In it, the main

characteristics of each selected study were recorded: author and year of publication, country,

population, educational context, sample size where applicable, methodology, instrument used,

type of collaborative task, affective variable analyzed, main results, and conclusions.

Data extraction allowed the studies to be compared without modifying their original results.

This process enabled similarities and differences to be identified regarding the collaborative

strategies employed and their possible effects on anxiety, confidence, participation, and

willingness to communicate.

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Variables and categories of analysis

The review was organized around four main categories.

Collaborative speaking tasks. These included pair work activities, small groups, collaborative

discussions, joint problem solving, collaborative oral task repetition, and other activities

oriented toward oral production through interaction among students.

Affective filter. This category comprised the emotional factors that may facilitate or hinder

participation and acquisition of a foreign language, especially anxiety, motivation, confidence,

and fear of making mistakes.

Language anxiety. This category specifically considered communication anxiety, speaking

anxiety, fear of negative evaluation, and other emotional manifestations associated with the

oral use of English.

Participation and willingness to communicate. Indicators related to frequency of participation,

intention to speak, willingness to use English, interaction with peers, and confidence during oral

activities were included.

Evidence synthesis

Given the expected heterogeneity among the selected studies, the results were synthesized

through a narrative and thematic analysis. The synthesis enabled the evidence to be organized

according to the types of collaborative tasks, the affective variables evaluated, and the main

effects reported.

The results will be presented by means of synthesis tables and descriptive graphs. The tables

will enable comparison of the methodological characteristics and findings of the included

studies, while the graphs will display the distribution of publications by year, country, type of

collaborative task, and affective variable analyzed.

Causal relationships that have not been demonstrated by the original studies will not be

inferred. Likewise, results from methodologically heterogeneous investigations will not be

statistically pooled. Interpretation will be carried out considering the quality, characteristics,

and limitations of the available evidence.

Methodological considerations

The review was developed following principles of transparency, traceability, and reproducibility.

The application of PRISMA 2020 allowed the process of identification and selection of studies to

be structured explicitly. The guidelines indicate that systematic reviews may contribute to

synthesizing existing knowledge, identifying research gaps, and generating new perspectives on

the phenomena studied.

Consequently, the methodological design allowed the collection of primary data originally

planned in the institutional project to be substituted by a strategy of systematic documentary

analysis. This modification was necessary to ensure that the article is appropriately structured

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as a systematic literature review and so that the results are derived solely from published

scientific evidence.

RESULTS

Identification and selection of studies

The literature search focused on research published between 2021 and 2026 related to

collaborative speaking tasks, collaborative learning, pair or group work, language anxiety,

speaking anxiety, willingness to communicate, and other affective factors linked to the learning

of English as a foreign language. The procedure followed the four stages previously established:

identification, screening, eligibility, and inclusion, in accordance with the structure proposed by

PRISMA 2020.

Figure 1. PRISMA 2020 flowchart for study selection

Of the 25 studies excluded during the screening and eligibility stages, the main reasons were:

population mismatch (studies involving participants outside the target educational context),

intervention mismatch (studies that did not examine collaborative learning, pair or group work,

or collaborative oral tasks), outcome mismatch (studies that did not assess speaking anxiety,

language anxiety, willingness to communicate, or related affective factors), topic mismatch

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(studies not specifically related to English as a foreign language), study design (theoretical,

review, or non-empirical studies), and publication criteria (studies published outside the 2021–

2026 period or without sufficient full-text information). These criteria were applied during the

screening and eligibility stages to ensure that the included studies were directly aligned with the

review objective.

The search identified empirical studies conducted in different educational contexts in Asia and

other regions, including primary, secondary, and university students. The identified studies

included experimental, quasi-experimental, mixed, and qualitative investigations. The selected

works analyzed interventions such as collaborative learning, group work, collaborative oral task

repetition, debate activities, peer scaffolding, and other forms of interaction among students.

Among the studies directly related to the objective of this review is the study by (9), which

examined the effect of collaborative activities on speaking anxiety in face-to-face and virtual

contexts. The study included 34 English students and used pretest and posttest measurements.

The results showed changes in certain components of anxiety after the collaborative

intervention, although no significant differences were observed between the face-to-face and

virtual modalities.

Likewise, (10) analyzed the use of group work combined with selective error correction in

secondary EFL students. The study used the Foreign Language Speaking Anxiety Scale and an

oral production rubric, and found a reduction in anxiety-related difficulties and an improvement

in oral performance after the intervention.

Another particularly relevant study was conducted by (11), with 60 Japanese sixth-grade

students. The study examined collaborative oral task repetition through a difference

identification activity. The results showed statistically significant decreases in language anxiety

after the tasks and indicated that both exact repetition and procedural repetition contributed to

reducing anxiety, without significant differences between the two modalities.

Recent studies also provided evidence extending the relationship between collaboration and

affective variables. A 2025 study examined collaborative dialogue assisted by language models

in 83 Chinese university students and specifically analyzed its relationship with speaking

competence and language anxiety. In 2026, a study conducted with 86 Iraqi university students

found that the group subjected to collaborative learning showed significantly better speaking

performance than the control group and a significant reduction in speaking anxiety, with very

large effect sizes (d = 2.05 for oral performance and d = 1.97 for anxiety).

Studies included in the preliminary synthesis

Based on the search and initial verification of the literature, 10 directly relevant studies were

identified that support the construction of the preliminary evidence matrix. These studies were

published between 2021 and 2026 and represent different educational contexts and learning

modalities.

Table 1. General characteristics of the studies included in the preliminary synthesis

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Collaborative

strategy

Affective

Main result

variable

Author/year Participants

Design

Collaborative and

individual learning

Digital

Language

anxiety

reduced anxiety;

group composition

influenced

(12)

(13)

96

Experimental

collaborative

learning

performance

Decrease in anxiety

difficulties and

Group work +

selective

Secondary

students

Speaking

anxiety

Quantitative

improvement in

oral performance

correction

Changes observed

after intervention;

no important

Face-to-face and

virtual

Speaking

anxiety

(9)

34

Experimental

collaborative tasks

differences

between modalities

Significant

Collaborative oral Language

(11)

(10)

60

Quasi-experimental

reduction in anxiety

after the tasks

task repetition

anxiety

Willingness to

Group

communicate

Willingness to

communicate

EFL

Observational/idiodynamic communicative

task

presented dynamic

changes during

group interaction

Language anxiety

presented a

Face-to-

face/online

Quantitative

Anxiety and

WTC

significant

(14)

(15)

290

communicative

relationship with

willingness to

communicate

contexts

Reduction of

anxiety was

examined together

with the

LLM-assisted

Language

anxiety

83

Controlled trial

collaborative oral

dialogue

development of

speaking

competence

Collaboration

constituted a

Anxiety and

emotional

resilience

Debates and peer

cooperation

relevant element of

the affective

(16)

(17)

11

Qualitative

experience during

oral production

Changes in anxiety

associated with a

cooperative

University

students

Cooperative

learning

Speaking

anxiety

Quantitative

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learning

intervention were

analyzed

Significant

Anxiety and

oral

reduction in anxiety

and significant

Collaborative

learning

(18)

86

Quasi-experimental

performance

improvement in

oral performance

Source: own elaboration based on the studies identified and verified during the literature search. The data

correspond to the results reported by the original studies.

In the study conducted by (12), with 96 fifth-grade students, digital collaborative learning was

compared with individual learning. The participants were classified according to their levels of

language anxiety and subsequently organized into different group combinations. The results

showed that both modalities could contribute to reducing anxiety, although the composition of

the collaborative groups was important for performance.

(13) reported that the combination of group work and selective error correction could be a

useful strategy for students who experienced high levels of anxiety during oral production. The

study particularly emphasizes the need to generate positive learning environments in which

students can experiment with the language without excessive fear of making mistakes.

The results of (9) show a different pattern. Although the collaborative activities generated

changes in certain components of speaking anxiety, the overall effect did not show statistically

meaningful differences between the face-to-face and virtual modalities. This finding is

important because it indicates that collaboration does not necessarily produce a uniform effect

and that the characteristics of the context may modify the results.

Temporal distribution of the publications

The identified literature shows a progressive increase in interest in the relationship between

collaboration, anxiety, and speaking during the period analyzed. The oldest studies in the

sample date from 2021 and 2022, while during 2024–2026 a greater diversity of interventions

and methodological designs was observed.

Table 2. Distribution of studies by year of publication

Year

2021

2022

2023

2024

2025

2026

Total

Number of studies

1

2

3

2

10

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The temporal distribution shows that 50% of the studies preliminarily included correspond to

the period 2025–2026, while 40% correspond to 2024–2025 and the remainder is distributed

between 2021–2023. This trend suggests a growing interest in studying language anxiety from

pedagogical interventions centered on interaction and collaboration.

Geographic distribution of the evidence

The identified studies come mainly from Asian countries. Studies conducted in Taiwan,

Indonesia, Turkey, Japan, China, Thailand, South Korea, Iraq, and Malaysia were found. This

distribution indicates that the problem of anxiety during oral production has been investigated

across different educational and cultural contexts.

The geographic concentration of the studies should not be interpreted as evidence that the

phenomenon is exclusive to these regions. On the contrary, it reflects the characteristics of the

literature retrieved through the search strategy used and highlights the need to expand

research to other regions, including Latin America.

Types of collaborative strategies identified

The interventions examined were considerably diverse. The most frequent forms of

collaboration were group work, communicative tasks, oral task repetition, debate activities, and

peer interactions. Modalities supported by digital technologies and artificial intelligence tools

were also identified.

The evidence indicates that collaborative activities may operate through different mechanisms.

The first involves distributing communicative pressure among several students, thereby

preventing all speaking from being concentrated immediately on student-teacher interaction.

The second involves the opportunity to practice the language several times within a supportive

environment. The third relates to peer support and a sense of security during oral production.

In the study, for example, the repetition of the same collaborative task helped reduce language

anxiety, while the study by (9) showed that the effect of collaborative activities may vary

according to the learning environment.

Table 3. Main collaborative strategies identified

Strategy

Small group work

Presence in the evidence

High

Related variable

Anxiety, participation, oral performance

Anxiety and oral production

Language anxiety

Collaborative communicative tasks

Oral task repetition

High

Moderate

Emerging

Peer work

Confidence and participation

Anxiety and emotional resilience

Anxiety and performance

Collaborative debates

Cooperative learning

Digital collaborative activities

AI-assisted dialogue

Anxiety and participation

Anxiety, WTC, and speaking competence

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Effects on the affective filter

The synthesis of the studies shows a general trend toward reductions in manifestations

associated with the affective filter when collaborative activities are developed within supportive

environments. The main affective variables identified were speaking anxiety, language anxiety,

fear of making mistakes, communicative confidence, and willingness to communicate.

Anxiety was the most frequently evaluated variable. In different investigations, scales such as

the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale and the Foreign Language Speaking Anxiety Scale

were used. The experimental and quasi-experimental studies generally show decreases in

anxiety after collaborative interventions, although the magnitude and significance of the effect

were not uniform.

One of the most robust quantitative findings in the sample corresponds to the study conducted

in Iraq in 2026. The experimental group, composed of 43 students, had a mean anxiety score of

48.34 after the intervention, compared with 64.23 in the control group. The difference was

statistically significant and yielded a very large effect size (d = 1.97). In parallel, speaking

performance reached a mean of 64.57 in the experimental group compared with 48.23 in the

control group (d = 2.05).

These results must be interpreted with caution because they correspond to a single study and

cannot automatically be generalized to the entire EFL population. However, they constitute

relevant evidence that a structured collaborative intervention may simultaneously influence

speaking performance and anxiety.

Anxiety and willingness to communicate

The reviewed evidence also indicates a consistent relationship between negative affective

variables and willingness to communicate. In a research study conducted with 290 university

EFL students, anxiety about foreign language learning had a direct influence on willingness to

communicate both in face-to-face and digital contexts. Anxiety was particularly relevant in

explaining willingness to communicate in virtual environments.

In addition, a study focused on group communicative tasks examined the willingness to

communicate of EFL students during natural oral interaction and found that this variable

changes dynamically during the performance of the same task.

Consequently, the results suggest that the reduction of the affective filter should not be

evaluated solely through reductions in anxiety scores. It is also necessary to consider behavioral

indicators such as participation, frequency of oral intervention, willingness to initiate

conversations, and perceived confidence.

DISCUSSION

The findings of this systematic literature review indicate a generally favorable trend regarding

the role of collaborative speaking tasks in the reduction of affective barriers associated with the

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learning of English as a foreign language. In particular, the analyzed evidence shows that

activities developed through group work, peer interaction, task repetition, cooperative learning,

and communicative tasks may be related to a decrease in language anxiety and to an increased

participation and willingness to communicate. This finding addresses the stated objective,

because collaboration emerges as a pedagogical resource capable of partially modifying the

affective conditions that intervene during oral production. However, the results also indicate

that this effect is not automatic, but depends on the characteristics of the task, group

organization, difficulty level, and the socio-affective environment in which the activity is

developed.

The reduction of language anxiety constitutes the most consistent finding of the review. The

experimental and quasi-experimental studies included reported, in general terms, decreases in

anxiety after the implementation of collaborative activities, although with differences in the

magnitude and significance of the effects. This finding is consistent with (19), who found a

statistically significant reduction in language anxiety after collaborative oral task repetition. This

consistency is particularly relevant because their study shows that progressive familiarization

with a communicative activity may decrease the pressure associated with oral production. In

this sense, repetition seems to provide students with greater opportunities to anticipate the

demands of the task, organize their linguistic resources, and participate with less uncertainty.

The findings are also consistent with (20), who observed a decrease in difficulties related to

anxiety and an improvement in oral performance through the combination of group work and

selective error correction. This evidence suggests that collaboration may be especially beneficial

when it is accompanied by feedback mechanisms that do not increase the fear of making

mistakes. Therefore, peer interaction alone would not account for reductions in the affective

filter, but the construction of an environment in which linguistic error is understood as part of

the learning process. This interpretation is consistent with the importance attributed in the

reviewed literature to positive feedback, recognition of effort, and tolerance for error.

In addition, the findings related to anxiety are consistent with the research conducted by (21),

although this study introduces an important difference. While other works identified more

evident reductions in anxiety, the authors observed changes only in certain components and did

not find significant differences between the face-to-face and virtual modalities. This discrepancy

is relevant because it demonstrates that collaboration is not in itself a sufficient condition for

producing a homogeneous reduction of the affective filter. The type of interaction, the structure

of the activity, and the characteristics of the participants may influence the emotional response

generated during oral production.

In that research, the experimental group presented a lower mean anxiety than the control

group and, simultaneously, obtained better results in oral performance, with very large effect

sizes for both variables. This alignment between anxiety reduction and performance

improvement suggests that structured collaborative interventions could generate simultaneous

benefits in affective and linguistic dimensions. Nevertheless, this result must be interpreted

cautiously, because it corresponds to a single study and, therefore, does not allow a universal

effect size to be established for all students learning English as a foreign language.

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The relationship between anxiety and willingness to communicate constitutes another

important finding. The review identified evidence according to which language anxiety is

significantly related to willingness to communicate (WTC), both in face-to-face and digital

environments. The study conducted with 290 university EFL students showed that anxiety about

foreign language learning had a direct influence on willingness to communicate, particularly in

virtual contexts. This finding is consistent with the perspective of (22), who proposed the

importance of jointly considering face-to-face and digital communicative anxiety to understand

students’ willingness to use the second language. Consequently, decreasing anxiety may

represent an important condition for fostering participation, although the relationship should

not be understood as exclusively linear, because other individual and contextual variables may

intervene.

Likewise, the findings regarding willingness to communicate are consistent with the study by

(23), in which it was observed that willingness to communicate changes dynamically during the

same group interaction. This evidence broadens the interpretation of the affective filter, since it

should not be considered as a fixed state. On the contrary, the willingness to speak may vary

during a task depending on the interlocutor, the content, the difficulty level, the perception of

competence, and the responses received from peers. In this way, a well-structured collaborative

activity may foster moments of greater communicative confidence, but it may also generate

tension if the conditions of interaction are not adequate.

Another relevant aspect is group composition. The study conducted in Taiwan with 96 students

showed that both collaborative and individual learning could contribute to reducing anxiety, but

that group composition influenced performance. This result introduces a critical consideration

in interpreting collaboration, since working in a group does not necessarily guarantee a positive

affective experience. The presence of peers with different levels of competence, participation

styles, or degrees of communicative security may modify the dynamics of the activity. Therefore,

instructional planning must consider group formation as a pedagogical variable and not merely

as an organizational aspect (24).

In relation to the strategies identified, small group work and collaborative communicative tasks

were highly represented in the reviewed evidence. Task repetition, peer work, debates, and

cooperative learning also showed associations with variables such as anxiety, confidence,

participation, and oral performance. This is consistent with literature suggesting that the

distribution of communicative pressure among several students may generate conditions

different from those produced when the student must respond directly in front of the teacher

or before the whole group (25). Collaboration also increases opportunities for linguistic

production and provides immediate peer support.

The integration of technological resources represents an emerging trend within this area. The

review identified digital collaborative activities and AI-assisted spoken dialogue, especially in

recent investigations. The study conducted with Chinese university students through

collaborative dialogue assisted by language models jointly examined language anxiety and

speaking competence. This type of intervention represents an expansion of the possibilities of

collaboration, because it creates additional opportunities for speaking practice. However, as it is

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still an emerging line of research within the reviewed sample, the evidence is insufficient to

conclude that artificial intelligence by itself produces a stable reduction of the affective filter.

The results related to collaborative debates also show that collaboration may involve broader

affective dimensions than anxiety. The qualitative study conducted in Thailand related debates

and peer cooperation with anxiety and emotional resilience. This suggests that collaborative

tasks may contribute not only to decreasing negative emotional states, but also to developing

resources to cope with demanding communicative situations. Consequently, the affective filter

could be addressed from a broader perspective that includes security, confidence, the ability to

cope with errors, and the willingness to continue participating in the face of difficulties.

Despite the favorable tendency identified, the geographic concentration of the studies is an

important limitation of the available evidence. Most studies came from Asian countries, among

them Japan, China, Taiwan, Indonesia, South Korea, Thailand, and Iraq. This concentration

demonstrates that anxiety during oral production is a problem studied across diverse

educational contexts, but it also limits the possibility of automatically transferring the results to

other populations. In particular, the limited representation of Latin American research highlights

the need to develop studies that consider the linguistic, cultural, educational, and socio-

affective characteristics specific to this region.

Methodological heterogeneity is another key consideration. The included studies used

experimental, quasi-experimental, quantitative, qualitative, and observational designs, in

addition to different instruments and intervention modalities. For this reason, it is not

methodologically appropriate to establish a single percentage of anxiety reduction or to

calculate a combined effect from investigations with substantially different characteristics. The

decision to conduct a narrative and thematic synthesis is consistent with this heterogeneity and

allows common patterns to be identified without attributing a statistical precision that the

available evidence does not support.

As a whole, the reviewed evidence supports the conclusion that collaborative speaking tasks

constitute a potentially favorable pedagogical strategy for reducing the affective barriers

associated with communication in English. The benefits appear to be greater when the activities

are conducted in small groups, incorporate peer support, allow oral production to be repeated,

use constructive feedback, and take place within a climate of tolerance for error. This

interpretation is consistent with the overall findings of the review, in which four main effects

were identified: reduction of language anxiety, increased communicative confidence, greater

oral participation, and greater willingness to communicate.

Nevertheless, the evidence does not support the conclusion that every collaborative activity

necessarily reduces the affective filter. The differences observed among the studies show that

pedagogical design, group composition, task complexity, linguistic proficiency, teaching

modality, and feedback may modify the results. Therefore, the main contribution of this review

lies in showing that collaboration must be understood as a strategy whose effectiveness

depends on the conditions in which it is implemented and rather than as a universal

intervention with automatic effects.

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Finally, the findings support the need to integrate the affective dimension into the planning of

speaking instruction in EFL. The reduction of anxiety should not be considered a secondary

result, but a component related to students’ ability to participate, interact, and use English with

greater confidence. In this sense, collaborative tasks may constitute a means of transforming

the classroom into a space of progressive communicative practice, always provided that they

are accompanied by appropriate organization, constructive feedback, and a pedagogical culture

that allows mistakes to be made without excessive fear of negative evaluation.

CONCLUSIONS

The reviewed studies show a general trend toward reductions in language anxiety and speaking

anxiety after interventions with group work, cooperative learning, peer interaction, and oral

task repetition; therefore, collaborative activities may be an appropriate instructional strategy

for reducing the affective filter during oral production, provided that they are implemented

under appropriate conditions.

The analyzed studies showed that anxiety is a factor associated with willingness to

communicate and that collaborative activities provide greater opportunities for interaction and

oral production. The main benefits identified are reduced anxiety, greater communicative

confidence, increased participation, and greater willingness to communicate in English,

especially when collaborative activities include small groups, peer work, repetition, and

constructive feedback.

Future research should examine more systematically how group composition, task difficulty,

students’ linguistic proficiency, learning modality (face-to-face or non-face-to-face), frequency

of oral practice, and feedback type influence the affective effects of collaborative tasks. Further

studies should also compare different collaborative task designs and consider larger and more

diverse samples to determine under which conditions collaborative learning can effectively

reduce speaking and language anxiety. In addition, future research should investigate the role of

safe, error-tolerant learning environments and peer support in facilitating students’ willingness

to communicate and reducing affective barriers during oral English activities. Given that the

current evidence does not demonstrate a uniform or automatic reduction of the affective filter

through collaboration, future studies should provide stronger empirical evidence regarding the

conditions under which collaborative tasks produce positive affective outcomes.

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