Anxiety in English Public Speaking Classes

among Thai EFL Undergraduate Students

Benjawan Plangkham
Thammasat University
[email protected]

Ketvalee Porkaew
Thammasat University
[email protected]

Abstract

English public speaking courses have long been offered to Thai EFL undergraduates;
however, student anxiety is still a problem in these courses. This research aimed to
investigate the level of anxiety at different stages of public speaking, which were pre-
preparation, preparation, pre-performance and performance, among Thai EFL
undergraduate students in English public speaking classes. The participants in this
study were 208 undergraduate students from both private and governmental
universities who completed a questionnaire. It was found that most students had
different levels of anxiety in English public speaking courses. Nevertheless, the study
results revealed that the highest level of anxiety was found in the performance stage
of public speaking.

Keywords: English public speaking, anxiety, Thai EFL students, undergraduate

students

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1. Introduction

At present, it is unquestionable that oral fluency skills in English are very

essential for people around the world. Due to the importance of English-speaking
proficiency, the demand for workers who are proficient in English oral skills has been
increasing; as a result, people with stronger English oral skills are likely to have
greater job opportunities. Therefore, different kinds of English speaking courses,
including public speaking, are offered in many universities in non-English speaking
countries in order to increase students’ English speaking competence. Although there
have been many research studies on English speaking for English as a Foreign
Language (EFL)learners, there has been little research done on English public
speaking focusing on Thai EFL undergraduate students.
In Thailand, English public speaking courses are offered to EFL
undergraduate students as both a required and an elective course in many universities.
However, most students avoid enrolling in this course because they are afraid to give
a speech in public, even though it is just a speech presented in class. As a result, when
students graduate from universities without good oral skills, they may face problems
when making presentations in their workplace. Therefore, it is valuable to investigate
the public speaking anxiety that Thai EFL undergraduate students encounter when
they have to give a speech in public speaking classes in order to eliminate any future
problems caused by anxiety when they need to speak in public in their careers.

2. Research Question
The research question is:
What is the level of anxiety at different stages of public speaking among
students in English public speaking classes?

3. Objective of the study

The objective of this study is to investigate the level of anxiety at different

stages of public speaking among students in English public speaking classes.

4. Scope of the study

The study investigated the level of anxiety at different stages of public

speaking for students in English public speaking classes.
The participants were 208 undergraduate students from both private and
governmental universities who were enrolled in English public speaking classes.

5. Review of Literature
5.1 Communication and public speaking
Communication can be defined as “the process of people sharing thoughts,
ideas, and feelings with each other in a commonly understandable way” (Hamilton

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and Parker, 1996, p. 4). Public speaking is one form of communication (Sellnow,
2005), which occurs when one prepares and performs a speech in front of an audience
without being interrupted and which aims to inform, persuade or entertain the
audience (Jaffe, 2007). McKerrow, Gronbeck, Ehninger and Monroe (2003) maintain
that when speech skills are learnt and practiced, speakers will be able to take part in
public events with minimal oral skill problems.

5.2 Anxiety

As cited in Kendall, Chansky, Kane, Kim, Kortlander, Ronan, Sessa and

Siqueland (1992), Morris and Kratochwill (1985) define anxiety as “apprehension,
tension, or uneasiness related to the expectation of danger, whether internal or
external. Anxiety may be focused on an object, situation or activity that is avoided, as
in a phobia, or it may be unfocused” (p. 1). Anxiety can be categorized into two types,
state anxiety and trait anxiety. Reiss (1997) states that “state anxiety, which is
situational in nature, is often observed through behaviors, physiological events, and
cognitive symptoms, while trait anxiety, which relates to the personality of an
individual, is often not observed” (p. 204). As cited in Finn, Sawyer and Behnke
(2009), the two works by Bhenke and Sawyer (1998) and Sawyer and Behnke (1999)
mention that “speaker trait anxiety has been shown to be generally stable from one
presentation to another, while speaker state anxiety fluctuates considerably before,
during, and following performances” (p. 418).

5.2.1 Foreign language anxiety

MacIntyre & Gardner (1991) explain the foreign language anxiety students
experience can be clearly defined as foreign language classroom anxiety (FLCA).
They state that FLCA is viewed as situational anxiety occurring in the foreign
language classroom. Horwitz, Horwitz and Cope (1991) conceptualize FLCA as “a
distinct complex of self-perceptions, beliefs, feelings, and behaviors related to
classroom language learning arising from the uniqueness of the language learning
process” (p.31).
Horwitz, Horwitz and Cope (1986) found that students express their foreign
language anxiety when they avoid interpreting complicated messages in foreign
language, when they show their lack of confidence, and when they forget vocabulary
or grammar that they have learned before. Horwitz, Horwitz and Cope (1991)
discovered that students with foreign language anxiety find it difficult to listen and
speak in class despite being well prepared to give a speech. Prince (1991) examined
students’ language anxiety in class. The results confirmed that all students were
anxious when they had to speak a foreign language in front of other students.

5.2.2 Public speaking anxiety (PSA)

O’Hair, Rubenstein and Stewart (2007) state that public speaking anxiety
(PSA) is fearfulness when speakers give a speech in public. There are many elements
resulting in PSA: inadequate experience, being unfamiliar with the audience and an
unwillingness to be the center of attention. A speaker can be nervous at any time

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when giving a speech and the nervousness can occur during any of the following four
periods of time: pre-preparation anxiety, which occurs when a speaker realizes that
he/she is required to do public speaking in the future; preparation anxiety, which
occurs when a speaker starts to prepare a speech; pre-performance anxiety, which
occurs when a speaker rehearses his/her speech; and performance anxiety, which
occurs when a speaker does the actual public speaking.

With regard to the example of the research study on English public speaking
focusing on EFL students, Chen (2009) conducted research on EFL undergraduate
students’ English oral presentation anxiety. The purpose of the study was to
investigate the level of graduate students’ anxiety and the sources of anxiety for
academic oral presentations. The participants were 18 graduate students. Her findings
showed that Taiwanese EFL students’ public speaking anxiety was at a moderate
level, indicating that students’ anxiety level was not too severe for them to manage.

6. Research Methodology

6.1 Participants
The participants in this research study consisted of 208 undergraduate students
from both private and governmental universities who took public speaking as either a
required course or an elective.

6.2 Material

The questionnaire was adapted from the Personal Report of Public Speaking
Anxiety developed by McCroskey (1970) and was divided into four parts, constituting
the four stages of public speaking. In each part, there were four statements designed
using a five-point Likert scale to find out the participants’ level of anxiety in public
speaking. Then, the questionnaire was pilot tested with three people comparable with
the research participants and adjusted before being distributed to the respondents.

6.3 Procedures
The questionnaires were distributed to the 208 participants, who were asked to
complete them within 20 minutes. Then, upon completion, they were required to
return them to the researcher in class.

6.4 Data analysis

The data obtained from the questionnaires were analyzed using the Statistical
Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) program. Descriptive statistics of mean and
standard deviation were used. The mean values of the data derived from each
statement in the questionnaire were interpreted as having the following levels of
anxiety.

Very high = 4.21 – 5.00 points

High = 3.41 – 4.20 points

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 Moderately high = 2.61 – 3.40 points
Low = 1.81 – 2.60 points
Very low = 1.00 – 1.80 points

7.Results
The results of this research study are divided into two parts, which are the
personal information of the participants and the level of anxiety at different stages in
English public speaking classes.

7.1 Information of the participants

Regarding participant demographics, it was found that the majority of students
who enrolled in English public speaking classes were female (76.9%). Most students
were third year students (70.7%), followed by fourth year students. A few participants
were first (1.4%) and second year students (1.0%). Regarding students’ majors, it was
found that most students were English majors (86.1%), while the rest were non-
English major students (13.9%). Most students had taken less than two English
speaking subjects each semester (43.3%), with most of their grade point averages
ranging between 3.00-3.59 (38.0%).

7.2 Levels of anxiety at different stages in English public speaking

Regarding the data obtained from the questionnaires, the participants showed
different levels of anxiety at different stages in English public speaking.

Table 4.1 shows the level of anxiety at the pre-preparation stage of English public
speaking. The overall mean score for the level of pre-preparation anxiety of the
participants in this study was = 3.60, showing that students had a high level of
anxiety in the pre-preparation stage of public speaking.

Table 4.1: Level of pre-preparation anxiety in English public speaking classes

Statement N Missing Mean Mode Minimum Maximum
1. I feel tense when I see the 208 0 3.37 4.00 1.00 5.00
words “speech” and “public
speech” on a course outline
when studying.
2. I get anxious when I think 208 0 3.80 4.00 1.00 5.00
about an upcoming speech.
3. When the instructor 208 0 3.57 4.00 1.00 5.00
announces a speaking
assignment in class, I can feel
myself getting tense.
4. I feel anxious when the 208 0 3.67 4.00 1.00 5.00
teacher announces the date of a
speaking assignment
Total N Minimum Maximum Mean SD
Pre-preparation anxiety 208 1.00 5.00 3.60 .90

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 Table 4.2 illustrates the level of preparation anxiety in English public speaking
classes. The overall mean score for the preparation anxiety of the participants in this
study was = 3.06, revealing that students expressed anxiety in the preparation stage
at a moderately high level.

Table: 4.2 Level of preparation anxiety in English public speaking classes

Statement N Missing Mean Mode Minimum Maximum
1. While preparing to give a 208 0 3.44 4.00 1.00 5.00
speech, I feel tense and
nervous.
2. I am unhappy when 208 0 3.00 3.00 1.00 5.00
preparing a speech.
3. I have trouble falling asleep 208 0 2.72 2.0 1.00 5.00
the night before a speech.
4. When preparing a speech, I 208 0 3.08 4.0 1.00 5.00
feel anxious and have trouble
concentrating on what I am
doing.
Total N Minimum Maximum Mean SD
Preparation anxiety 208 1.00 5.00 3.06 .81

Table 4.3 presents the level of pre-performance anxiety in English public

speaking classes. The overall mean score for the pre-performance anxiety of the
participants in this study was = 3.24, which indicates that students had a moderate
level of anxiety in the pre-performance stage of public speaking.

Table 4.3: Level of pre-performance anxiety in English public speaking classes

Statement Valid Missing Mean Mode Minimum Maximum
1. I feel anxious while 208 0 3.22 4.00 1.00 5.00
rehearsing a speech.
2. I feel uncomfortable and 208 0 3.20 4.00 1.00 5.00
stressed while rehearsing a
speech.
3. I am in constant fear of 208 0 3.63 4.00 1.00 5.00
forgetting what I prepared to
say while rehearsing a speech.
4. My heart beats very fast 208 0 2.91 2.00 1.00 5.00
while I rehearse a speech.
Total N Minimum Maximum Mean SD
Pre-performance 208 1.00 5.00 3.24 .87

Table 4.4 describes the level of performance anxiety in English public

speaking classes. The overall mean score for the performance anxiety of the
participants in this study was = 3.85, indicating that students experienced anxiety at
a high level in the performance stage.

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 Table: 4.4 Level of performance anxiety in English public speaking classes
Statement Valid Missing Mean Mode Minimum Maximum
1. My hands shake and 208 0 3.75 4.00 1.00 5.00
some parts of my body feel
very tense when I am
delivering a speech.
2. My heart beats very fast 208 0 3.98 4.00 1.00 5.00
when I am giving a speech.
3. While giving a speech, I 208 0 4.00 4.00 1.00 5.00
get so nervous that I forget
facts that I actually know.
4. When I make a mistake 208 0 3.64 4.00 1.00 5.00
while giving a speech, I find
it hard to concentrate on the
parts that follow.
Total N Minimum Maximum Mean SD
Performance anxiety 208 1.00 5.00 3.85 .76

Table 4.5 explains the comparative levels of anxiety at different stages in

English public speaking. As can be seen, most participants had the highest anxiety at
the performance stage ( = 3.85) followed by anxiety in the pre-preparation, pre-
performance and preparation stages, respectively ( = 3.60, = 3.24 and = 3.05).
This could be interpreted that students showed a high level of anxiety in the pre-
preparation and performance stages, while they expressed a moderate level of anxiety
in the preparation and pre-performance stages.

Table 4.5: The comparative level of anxiety at the four different stages in English
public speaking classes
Stage of anxiety N Minimum Maximum Mean Std. Deviation
Pre-preparation anxiety 208 1.0 5.0 3.60 .90
Preparation anxiety 208 1.0 5.0 3.06 .81
Pre-performance anxiety 208 1.0 5.0 3.24 .87
Performance anxiety 208 1.0 5.0 3.85 .76

8.Discussion

8.1 Pre-preparation anxiety

As seen in Table 4.5, most students had a high level of anxiety in the pre-
preparation stage of public speaking. Most of them agreed that they felt anxious when
they realized that they must get involved in English public speaking. The finding is
similar to that of Behnke and Sawyer (1999), who found that the highest level of
speech state anxiety occurred when students were assigned a public speaking task in
class. Behnke and Sawyer (1999) claimed that once students anticipated anxiety
related to an upcoming public speaking situation in class, they would express
avoidance behavior, such as dropping the course or skipping the speaking task.

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 In the present study, most students were required to enroll in the speaking
course, so it is possible that they may have been worried due to a negative impression
the students acquired before actually taking the course. This might have been because
English is not their mother tongue, so learners felt anxious once they realized that
they must get involved in any English-speaking course.

8.2 Preparation anxiety

In the preparation stage of public speaking, it was found that students showed
a moderately high level of anxiety. This finding was congruent with the study of
Behnke and Sawyer (1999), who found that the levels of trait and state anxiety of
students in the preparation stage were lower than anxiety in the pre-preparation and
performance stages. Menzel&Carrell (1994) mentioned that the speech preparation
stage showed some positive relationship with the quality of the speech. That is, the
more students prepared for their speech, the better speech performance they could
achieve.
In the present study, anxiety in the preparation stage was not high; thus, it may
be possible that students did not feel much anxiety as their speech preparation might
have made them more confident in the quality of their speech.

8.3 Pre-performance anxiety

The findings revealed that like in the preparation stage of public speaking, in
the pre-performance stage, students also had a moderately high level of anxiety. In the
pre-performance stage, it was possible that students had time to rehearse a speech that
they had already prepared so their anxiety was not very high. It may be possible that
speech rehearsal was important in building students’ confidence in public speaking
and decreasing their anxiety level. This supports the study of Menzel and Carrell
(1994), which showed that oral rehearsal contributes to students’ success in their
actual speech performance.

8.4 Performance anxiety

The highest level of anxiety in public speaking was found in the performance
stage. Most students agreed that they felt anxious when they performed an actual
speech in class. This finding was similar to the findings of Behnke and Sawyer
(1999), which revealed that students showed the highest level of anxiety when
performing a public speech.
Interestingly, as most students in the present study had taken less than two
English speaking courses, it is possible that the number of English speaking courses
might have contributed to the anxiety students felt when performing a speech as they
did not have an adequate chance to practice English speaking skills; this may have
then led to anxiety when they were required to speak English in any academic
speaking course, such as a public speaking course.

9. Implications of the study

Since the present study revealed that Thai EFL undergraduate students showed
anxiety in different stages of public speaking, it is important that public speaking

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course instruction take students’ unique level and type of anxiety in each stage of
public speaking into consideration.
In terms of the pre-preparation stage of public speaking, it is important that the
teacher find ways to change students’ attitude towards English public speaking
courses. For instance, the teacher or the course developer might provide students with
a course orientation so that they can have a more positive attitude towards English
public speaking courses. To motivate students to enroll in English public speaking
courses, the teacher could invite professional public speakers to explain the
importance of English public speaking skills so that students might have a better
impression of English public speaking courses.
Regarding the performance stage of public speaking, in which students
showed the highest level of anxiety, it is very important that the teacher find ways to
decrease students’ anxiety when they perform an actual speech in English public
speaking classes. For example, the university should provide them with more English
speaking courses each semester to enable them to have some practice in English oral
skill; this might be able to minimize students’ anxiety when they actually enroll in an
English public speaking course.
Although the students did not show a high level of anxiety in the preparation
and pre-performance stages, teachers still need to focus on both stages. In the
preparation stage of public speaking, the teacher should give students more speech
preparation time and offer instruction on how to prepare for a speech. For example,
the teacher should teach students how to manage the timeframe for their speech
preparation step by step so they will understand the proper way to effectively prepare
for a speech. In addition, in the pre-performance stage of public speaking, the teacher
should assist students by giving advice on the proper way to rehearse a speech. For
instance, the teacher might suggest rehearsing without reading the script, while at the
same time trying to memorize some important content so they can speak naturally
during the actual speech. With the teacher’s advice, students can eventually reduce
their anxiety in English public speaking classes.

10. Recommendations for further research

Based on the findings and conclusion of this study, the following

recommendations are presented for future research.
 The number of participants in this study was limited to only 208 undergraduate
students from the central part of Thailand. Therefore, more participants from other
parts of Thailand and from other levels of education are needed so as to increase
the generalizability of the research results.
 As this study investigated only the level of anxiety at different stages of public
speaking, further research on the methods that students use to manage their
anxiety is needed in order to find ways to help students cope with their anxiety;
this will lead to effective English public speaking among Thai students in the long
run.

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