Public Speaking Anxiety Research Articles

Exploring Fear of Public Speaking Through Social Cognitive Theory

Public speaking as a form of communication skill has pervaded today’s learning environment. It is in contrast to the previous method of delivery in which oral communication is obscure. The vicissitudes occur because students need to be competent in the field of academics. This skill is vital for students, but hitherto much difficult because of their anxiety. Additionally, students think that the act of giving a speech needs strong volition and confidence. Therefore, it is crucial for them to tackle the fear before they endure the real journey in professional working life. Hence, this study aims to analyse the causes of fear in public speaking among students and how Social Cognitive Theory influences this anxiety. This study employed a quantitative survey comprising four sections in order to get a more in-depth data analysis. A total of 171 undergraduate students from Universiti Teknologi MARA served as the respondents of this study. The findings reveal that the students are influenced by several internal and external factors that cause fear in public speaking. In response to the influence of Cognitive and Behavior factors, the majority of those surveyed indicated that the size of the audience and nervousness lead to students’ anxiety. These findings add to a growing body of literature on the anxiety of public speaking as well as aid as a reference for students and teachers, especially in English classrooms. Future studies on the current topic are therefore recommended in order to corroborate the findings.

A meta-analysis of the effect of virtual reality on reducing public speaking anxiety

A meta-analysis of the effect of virtual reality on reducing public speaking anxiety

Investigating Public Speaking Anxiety Factors among EFL University Students through Online Learning

As in many other countries, universities in Indonesia have been closed since March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, and lecturers have been forced to adapt to online learning. Students in this online course admitted to feeling anxious when studying public speaking. This descriptive quantitative study aims to analyze the potential factors (English oral proficiency, personality, lecturer's scoring criteria, classmates' responses, pronunciation, audience familiarity, unfamiliar speech topic, preparedness, English grammar, vocabulary) affecting the students' public speaking anxiety at four different stages. The respondents of this study were 60 undergraduate students. A questionnaire adapted from McCroskey (1970) was used, and data were analyzed using descriptive statistics of IBM SPSS statistics 26 software. The findings of this study revealed that the factors affecting the students' public speaking anxiety through online learning varied by stages. Through online learning, English oral proficiency and topic familiarity could be the most influential factors on students' public speaking anxiety. The findings of this study are useful for educators in helping EFL students overcome their public speaking anxiety and enabling them to perform better in public speaking.

Glossophobia: Fear of Public Speaking Among Senior High School Students of Aliaga National High School

This study entitled “Glossophobia: Fear of Public Speaking Among Grade 11 Senior High School Students in Aliaga National High School” aimed to describe and analyze the components that contribute to the glossophobia among Grade 11 Senior High School students. Furthermore, it sought to determine the significant difference in the components to glossophobia among the students in terms of their profile. It also aimed to create interventions that can be applied to address challenges and issues on gloosophobia that the students encountered during public speaking class.

The effect of in-class and one-on-one video feedback on EFL learners’ English public speaking competency and anxiety

Video feedback (VF) is a useful learning technique in acquiring public speaking skills due to its capacity to retain both verbal and non-verbal elements of multimodal communication. Previous research has focused on video self-critique, peer VF, online feedback, or one-on-one VF in the first language (L1) context and has yielded varied results regarding the impact of VF on public speaking competence and anxiety. Therefore, this quasi-experimental classroom-based study compared the impact of the one-on-one VF and in-class VF on public speaking competency and anxiety of learners of English as a Foreign Language (EFL). Three intact university-level English classes in China (n = 74) were assigned to the three conditions (in-class VF, one-on-one VF, and verbal feedback). Data on students’ speaking competence were validated using many-facet Rasch measurement (MFRM). Subsequent gain score analysis and ANCOVA showed that in-class VF significantly improved students’ delivery skill and global competence and reduced their speaking anxiety compared with the verbal feedback group. It is proposed that in-class VF be employed as an instructional procedure to help EFL learners improve their public speaking skills and reduce their public speaking anxiety, particularly in the teaching context of a large class size together with comparatively limited logistic and teaching resources.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Based Virtual Reality Exposure Intervention in Public Speaking Anxiety: A Case Study

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Based Virtual Reality Exposure Intervention in Public Speaking Anxiety: A Case Study

Language Anxiety Variables and Their Negative Effects on SLA: A Psychosocial Reality in Bangladesh

The study aimed to explore the psychological and socio-cultural factors that contribute to situation-specific anxiety and impede second language acquisition (SLA). It collected data from a survey questionnaire, semi-structured interviews, and focus group discussions with 39 Bangladeshi EFL learners at the tertiary level. The findings indicate that situation-specific anxiety has a negative impact on the acquisition of a second language. This language anxiety stems from distinct personality traits, including fear of public speaking, fear of making mistakes, fear of being negatively judged by teachers and peers, lack of self-confidence, peer comparison, fear of native cultural exclusion, and an overall unfavorable classroom environment. The results imply several psychosocial and individual perspectives which cannot be ignored in the essential concept of second language acquisition. Teachers may use this study as a reference to assist their students in generating better ideas and understanding second language acquisition from the perspective of the learners.

Impact of Anxiety in English Language Learning of Second Language Learners

Impact of Anxiety in English Language Learning of Second Language Learners

Investigation of the Relationship between Foreign Language Speech Anxiety and Gender, School Type, Foreign Language Education History in Secondary School Students

Investigation of the Relationship between Foreign Language Speech Anxiety and Gender, School Type, Foreign Language Education History in Secondary School Students

Students’ Age, Perceptions of Poor Performance, and Fear of Negative Assessment in English Speaking as Predictors of Academic Performance in Male and Female Students

The students’ implicit theories of intelligence and ability play a crucial role in determining their interest and effort in their studies. The negative mindset promotes poor perceptions of performance and fear of negative evaluation in students, which negatively impacts their learning and academic performance. The English language experts have tried to understand these perceptions of poor performance and fear of negative evaluation in English speech anxiety. Gender and age differences are present in implicit theories and perceptions of poor performance, fear of negative evaluation, and speech anxiety. Therefore, the current study explored the role of age in perceptions of poor performance and fear of negative evaluation in English speaking anxiety and academic performance among male and female students. The sample of the study was 956 university students. Generalized structured component analysis multi-group approach revealed the differing impacts of age on dimensions of negative thoughts in English speaking and academic performance in male and female students. The direct effect of age on students’ academic performance was insignificant. However, the students’ perceptions of poor performance mediated the impact of age on academic performance. The effect of perceptions of poor performance on academic performance was negative compared to the positive effect of fear of negative evaluation on students’ academic performance.

To shelter or unshelter? An analysis of international students’ experience in introductory communication courses

The purpose of this study was to assess the degree to which sheltered versus unsheltered contexts of introductory communication courses impact communication skill development and overall learning outcomes for international students. Specifically, this study examined the following outcome variables: public speaking anxiety, engagement, communication mindset, communication efficacy, and student performance to investigate whether it is beneficial to sheltered international students in introductory courses. Results showed that there was no significant difference between groups for the public speaking anxiety, student engagement, or overall course performance, except for the final group presentation performance. However, there was a significant interaction effect for communication mindset and communication efficacy; students in sheltered sections saw increases in these outcomes over the course of the semester, while unsheltered students experienced the opposite.

A Mixed Method Study on the Effectiveness of Using Virtual Reality to Improve Adolescent Public Speaking

This study analyzes the extent to which virtual reality technology is effective in improving self-confidence in children and adolescents ages 12-18 when public speaking. Using a mixed method of both quantitative and qualitative data, subject responses were collected through a pre- and post-test survey prior to and after completing a set of three virtual reality simulations. The data demonstrated that with an increasing number of audience members present in a virtual simulation, subject confidence levels decreased, suggesting that virtual reality can be used as an effective tool in reducing public speaking anxiety. While the current study supports this claim, additional research should be conducted based on the limitations of this study, specifically to enlarge the sample size beyond 20 subjects.

Procesy uwagi a lęk społeczny w sytuacji wystąpienia publicznego

The article attempts to analyze the relationship between attention processes and social anxiety in a situation of public speaking. Theoretical analyzes were based on classical assumptions and current research from the cognitive and cognitive-behavioral paradigm. The study was to initially verify the assumptions resulting from the cognitive model of public speaking. A survey was carried out on a group of 187 students of the Jagiellonian University. Respondents answered six questions concerning subjective sense of anxiety and subjective sense of focusing attention during public speaking. According to our hypotheses, people with high anxiety focus more on themselves, and those with low anxiety focus more on the content of the speech. It seems that both low-anxiety and severely anxious people might focus strongly on the audience, although there are different psychological mechanisms of this direction of attention bias. The results of the research partially confirm the expected directions of the relationship between the subjectively perceived bias in attention and the estimated level of fear of public speaking and are consistent with the theoretical predictions. The results concerning the relationship between the power of anxiety and directing attention to the audience do not provide sufficient grounds for either rejecting or accepting the hypotheses. The results indicate the need to take into account the attention bias in the treatment of anxiety disorders and may constitute an important basis for practical therapeutic work in the cognitive-behavioral paradigm. Moreover, the results indicate the need to take into account the phenomenon of attention bias in counteracting anxiety disorders.

To Speak or Not to Speak in Public: A Non-Randomized Controlled Trial Regarding the Effects of a Public Speaking Program

Public speaking has become an increasingly sought-after skill, which is why more and more people choose to get professionally trained. But is it possible for a public speaking program to have other effects, in addition to improved performance? The aim of this study is to discover the effects of a public speaking program on reducing social anxiety, public speaking anxiety and shame, and also on increasing self-efficacy. The sample (high-school and university students) consisted of 164 participants aged between 15 and 47 years, M = 19.93, SD = 4.70. There were 82 participants in the experimental group and 82 participants in the control group, and the instruments used were: Liebowitz's Scale for Social Anxiety (Liebowitz, 1987), Personal Report on Public Speaking Anxiety (McCroskey, 1970), General scale of self-efficacy (Schwarzer & Jerusalem, 1995), Cognitive Schema Questionnaire (Young, 2005). A test-retest design was approached, the participants completing the questionnaires one week apart from the others. The results indicate that a public speaking program is useful for reducing social anxiety and public speaking anxiety, with significant differences between the experimental and control groups. However, in terms of self-efficacy and shame, the results were not conclusive. Thus, even if there has been a decrease in shame and an increase in self-efficacy, it is not clear whether these changes can be attributed to the proposed program. This study can serve as the beginning of a program that can contribute to reducing the level of social anxiety and public speaking anxiety..

“I Speak Not”: Accounts of English Language Learners With Glossophobia

This qualitative research employed the phenomenological method of study to determine the experiences of English language learners in public speaking and their coping mechanisms to redress such experiences. The study utilized in-depth interviews to elicit responses from the participants. Colaizzi’s data analysis method was used to analyze the data gathered. This study's participants were the ten selected and assessed Grade 12 students of a tertiary school located in Midsayap, North Cotabato. Results revealed that English language learners’ public speaking anxiety stemmed from the fear of perception or negative evaluation, the influence of unpleasant experiences, and pressure from competitiveness. The participants used four coping mechanisms to cope with the anxiety and improve themselves in the process – remediation, positive thinking, teacher’s positive attitude, and peer seeking. The researchers concluded that public speaking anxiety stems from fear of being judged, negative experiences, and pressure from the different environmental factors. However, certain anxious persons can use the abovementioned coping mechanisms to reduce or improve their speaking skills.

Take a Public Speaking Course and Conquer the Fear

The purpose of this research project was to investigate if students today still report a fear of public speaking more often than death and if after completing a public speaking their fears change. Participants in a multi-section public speaking course (N = 374) completed a pre- and post-course survey asking them to select their fears and also complete public speaking anxiety questions. The results showed that pre-course public speaking was chosen more often than death and all other fears except for family tragedy, but after completing the course, the fear of public speaking was no longer selected more than death and was not even among the top five fears students listed. The review of literature also addresses why students should enroll in a basic public speaking course and conquer their fear or anxiety about public speaking while still in college.

Look at the Audience? A Randomized Controlled Study of Shifting Attention From Self-Focus to Nonsocial vs. Social External Stimuli During Virtual Reality Exposure to Public Speaking in Social Anxiety.

Background: Enhanced self-focused attention plays a central role in the maintenance and treatment of Social Anxiety and is targeted in contemporary cognitive behavioral therapy. Actual developments use Virtual Reality (VR) for behavioral training. However, no VR attention training combining exposure to public speaking with shifting attention from self-focus to external focus has been investigated, and no experimental evidence exists on different kinds of external cues as targets of attention. Therefore, we investigated the effects of an attention training during public speaking in VR and examined differential effects of an external focus on nonsocial vs. social stimuli.Methods: In this randomized controlled study, highly socially anxious participants were instructed to focus on either objects or the audience within a virtual speech task. We assessed the pre-post effects on affective reactions, self-perception, and attentional processes during public speaking as well as general Social Anxiety using subjective, physiological, and eye-tracking measures. Repeated-measures analyses of variance (ANOVAs) were calculated to detect changes from pretest to posttest over both groups, and time × group interaction effects.Results: Within the analysis sample (n = 41), anxiety during public speaking and fear of negative evaluation significantly decreased, with no significant differences between groups. No significant time effect, but a significant time × group effect, was found for the looking time proportion on the audience members' heads. Follow-up tests confirmed a significant increase in the social-focus group and a significant decrease in the nonsocial-focus group. For all other variables, except external focus and fear of public speaking, significant improvements were found over both groups. Further significant time x group effects were found for positive affect during public speaking, with a significant increase in the social focus, and no significant change in the nonsocial-focus group.Conclusion: Our findings suggest that attention training to reduce self-focus can be successfully conducted in VR. Both training versions showed positive short-term effects in the highly socially anxious, with particular advantages of an external social focus concerning eye contact to the audience and positive affect. Further research should investigate whether social focus is even more advantageous long term and if reinterpretations of dysfunctional beliefs could be achieved by not avoiding social cues.

Examining the key factors behind foreign language anxiety (FLA) in online teaching of English for Specific Purposes (ESP)

Abstract Though foreign language anxiety (FLA) has long been recognized as an important affective factor in second language learning, its impact is worth studying in new educational contexts of emergency remote teaching in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. The present study examines the key factors behind FLA in online teaching of English for Specific Purposes (ESP). The research was conducted among a sample of 171 first-year undergraduate university students of Economics & Business economics and Informatics at the Juraj Dobrila University of Pula, Croatia, during the winter semester of 2020/2021. The research instrument used was a 33-item questionnaire adapted from the FLCAS scale (Horwitz et al., 1986) to reflect the online ESP classroom environment. The main results indicate that various background factors, such as gender, self-assessed levels of proficiency, length of learning English and frequency of English language use, significantly influence the reported levels of language anxiety. Furthermore, the study establishes the underlying structure of FLA, with five factors positively correlated with overall language anxiety at the. 01 level of statistical significance: speech anxiety, evaluation and comprehension anxiety, online ESP classroom environment, anxiety of talking to native speakers, and lack of motivation for online class attendance. Finally, multiple regression analysis shows that the five aspects of FLA, alongside the variables of gender and self-assessed pronunciation proficiency, represent statistically significant predictors of the total level of FLA among online ESP learners. The other independent variables are confirmed to be unreliable in predicting the overall level of language anxiety in an online ESP classroom.

Rasch analysis reveals multidimensionality in the public speaking anxiety scale

Rasch analysis reveals multidimensionality in the public speaking anxiety scale

SpeakApp-Kids! Virtual reality training to reduce fear of public speaking in children – A proof of concept

Virtual reality exposure therapy (VRET) is a promising tool to reduce public speaking anxiety in adults, while treatment and prevention of public speaking anxiety in children has been largely neglected. We examined whether repeated brief exposures to a virtual audience embedded in a prototype of the Virtual Reality (VR) SpeakApp-Kids! helped to reduce (1) self-reported state anxiety during three public speaking practice sessions, (2) state anxiety during the actual presentation that followed, and (3) general public speaking anxiety from the first practice session until after the actual presentation in children aged 9–12 years (n = 40). First, we found a decrease in state anxiety during the first two practice sessions. Also in line with our expectations, pupils in the SpeakApp-Kids! condition reported lower state anxiety during the actual presentation than the control (at home) condition (n = 49). Finally, we found a larger decrease in general public speaking anxiety from the first practice session until one week after the actual presentation for the SpeakApp-Kids! condition, as compared to the control children preparing their presentations as usual. Taking limitations into account, this VR SpeakApp-Kids! is a promising tool to be developed further as it has potential to serve as an educational tool for speech practice and thereby reducing public speaking anxiety. More importantly, it has potential to prevent public speaking anxiety from developing in the first place.