Self-disclosure and narrative styles in asynchronous L2 presentation videos: a neuroeducational study using NIRS and eye-tracking

Abstract This study examines how self-disclosure and narrative styles in asynchronous L2 (English) presentation videos are associated with viewers’ cognitive and affective engagement. Participants were 59 right-handed Japanese university students with intermediate English proficiency (CEFR B1–B2). They watched three English presentation videos that varied in the degree of self-disclosure and narrative grounding. During viewing, cerebral blood flow was measured using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), and eye-tracking data were collected to assess visual attention. After each video, participants completed comprehension checks, followed by a questionnaire evaluating perceived speaker presence, persuasiveness, and overall engagement. The results indicated that presentation videos incorporating personal narratives and self-disclosure were associated with more stable neural responses and stronger affective engagement. Visual elements, such as photographs, functioned as supportive attentional resources that enhanced perceived speaker presence in the asynchronous L2 context. In addition, emotionally salient content, including negatively valenced information, was associated with heightened attentional and neural responses. Rather than demonstrating direct effects on language learning outcomes, the findings provide insight into how L2 learners process and experience presentation videos at cognitive and affective levels. The study offers pedagogical implications for the design of asynchronous presentation activities in English language education and highlights the potential value of integrating personal narratives, coherent storytelling, and visual support in L2 presentation tasks.