Fostering student participation through Dialogic Pedagogical Gatherings to face anxiety toward English (L2) learning

Anxiety is an affective variable that negatively affects learning in general, and specifically second language learning. Several studies have demonstrated that the active participation of students helps to reduce learning anxiety. The Dialogic Pedagogical Gatherings (DPG) are an educational action that promotes participation through dialogue. However, the effect of this pedagogic strategy to overcome anxiety towards learning English (L2) in pre-service teachers has not been studied in depth. To this end, a quasi-experimental study with a mixed design was carried out with the participation of 48 preservice teachers. The results show that the anxiety level of the participants decreases considerably after the DGP intervention. These results have implications for second language teaching.