Innovation in Language Learning

One of the significant concerns in academic oral presentations is coherence, as students often struggle to organize ideas logically. This study explored how discourse markers (DMs) and paralinguistic features, particularly hand gestures, enhance coherence. Using a qualitative approach, ten third-year English majors from Rizal Technological University were observed during their AOPs. Video recordings captured both verbal and nonverbal cues, and Creswell’s (2012) six-step analysis framework, combined with multimodal discourse analysis, guided the data interpretation. This study investigated the most prevalent discourse markers (DMs) paired with hand gestures in academic oral presentations by selected English majors. It aimed to explore how these combinations contribute to building coherence and enhancing communication. Findings revealed that DMs and gestures work interactively to organize ideas, emphasize key points, and guide audience understanding. Their integration reinforces structure, meaning, and engagement in spoken discourse. The study offers six pedagogical inputs for pre-service teachers, including strategic DM use, gesture alignment, rehearsal, and cultural awareness. These insights support the use of multimodal techniques to promote clearer, more effective academic presentations in English instruction. Findings revealed that the prevailing pairing of DMs like “so” with gestures such as open hands or pointing significantly improved clarity, transitions, and audience engagement. Themes identified showed that these pairings served multiple functions, referential, structural, and interpersonal, depending on context. The study concluded that gestures and DMs co-constructed meaning and supported coherence. Recommendations include integrating gesture and DM training in instruction and encouraging future studies on multimodal communication across cultural contexts and additional nonverbal elements like facial expressions and tone.

Keywords: Discourse Markers, Hand Gestures, Academic Oral Presentations, Coherence