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THE EFFECTIVENESS OF PUBLIC SPEAKING ACTIVITIES

ON SPEAKING ANXIETY

A Researcher Paper

Presented to the Faculty of

Ligao National High School

Guilid, Ligao City, Albay

FRANCINE FAITH PARDE

JAMES ROLDAN HUMANGIT

JOHN GIAN PALMERIA

January 2024
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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Title Page ……………………………………………………………………… 1

Table of Contents …………………………………………… ………………. 2

CHAPTER 1:

Introduction…………………………………………………………………… 4

Background of the Study ……………………………………………….……. 4

Conceptual Framework………………………………………………….…… 7

Statement of the Problem ………………………………………….………… 8

Definition of Terms………………………………….………..….………. ……9

Significance of the Study…………………………………………..…………. 10

Scope and Delimitation …………………………………………………….... 11

CHAPTER 2: Methodology

Research Design ………………………………………………………………12

Sources of Data………………………………………………………………..12

Population and Sample………………………………………………….……13

Data Gathering Procedure……………………………………………………13

Instrumentation………………………………………………………………..13

Data Analysis………………………………………………………………..…14
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Risk Assessment……………………………………………………….………14

References………………………………………………………………….….16

CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

This chapter represent the background of the study, statement of the problem, significance of the study,

scope and delimitation, and definition of terms.

Background of the Study

Public speaking is a highly important skill for a graduate to achieve, and despite many students

reporting high public speaking anxiety, this is rarely addressed in current undergraduate degree courses. The

following paper evaluates the effectiveness of a course aimed at reducing students' levels of public speaking

anxiety via a relatively simple and resource minimal approach. Twenty-nine students completed 9 sessions

aimed to improve public speaking confidence. Across the sessions, students progressed from conducting

informal presentations in front of small numbers of students towards formal presentations of academic

content in front of increasingly larger audiences. In a latter session, students were also encouraged to reflect

on their experience of the course and to note any skills they had developed. Delivery of the public speaking

program resulted in significant reductions in scores on two standardized measures of public speaking

anxiety. the Audience Anxiousness Scale and the Personal Report of Communication Apprehension. It is

suggested that University departments should consider offering courses for students which allow them to

practice public speaking.

PSA can stem from either general communication apprehension or from general psychological

anxiety (Witt & Behnke, 2006). Communication researchers see PSA as a subcomponent of a more general

issue with communication in several contexts including group discussions, meetings, dyads, and public

speaking (Pribyl, Keaten, Sakamoto, & Koshikawa, 1998).

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Since audience anxiety or PSA is a subcomponent of social anxiety, people with high PSA will be

more likely to feel as though they are being negatively evaluated by their audience and are more likely to be

focused on their own performance in a negative way.

The literature on PSA has defined two different types: state and trait PSA (Bodie, 2010; Pribyl et al.,

1998). State PSA is when PSA is context specific. For example, a student may feel comfortable making a

relatively informal presentation in front of fellow students but might feel highly anxious when presenting a

piece of their work to specialists.

Trait PSA is seen to be more stable: a person feels anxious when asked to speak in public irrespective

of the context. Regardless of the type of PSA, there are many symptoms associated with it. Bodie (2010)

outlines the three types of symptoms: physiological, cognitive and behavioral. Physiological symptoms can

be bodily sensations such as numbness, increased blood pressure, increased heart rate, and sweaty palms.

The cognitive symptoms involve negative evaluation of one’s own performance, self-focused

thoughts, and perceived negative judgments from the audience. Finally, behavioral symptoms might reflect

less fluency in speech (Choi, Honeycutt and Bodie, 2014) or nervous fidgeting while delivering a

presentation. Bodie (2010) suggests that the cognitive and physiological symptoms together predict the

greatest variance in PSA. Hence, the majority of research on PSA has focused on the physiological

and cognitive effects of PSA with most intervention studies taking measurements of these symptoms to test

for the effectiveness of different programs.

However, there are many different types of interventions which have been tested with some found to

be effective at reducing levels of PSA. Dwyer (2000) suggests that the success of these interventions reflects

an improvement in the management of anxieties related to PSA rather than “curing” people of PSA.

Interventions aimed at reducing PSA can include systematic desensitization, cognitive restructuring,

visualization, and skills training (Dwyer, 2000).

Most studies examine the effectiveness of one or more of these types of interventions by comparing to

either a control/placebo group or by comparing one type of intervention to another. For example, Hunter,
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Westwick, and Haleta (2014) found a reduction in PSA after individuals received exposure therapy (a type

of systematic desensitization) together with skills training.

We chose this study because we want to know and solve this problem that we are also experiencing

and so that the students will have knowledge about it and how they can solve this matter.
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CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

INPUT PROCESS OUTPUT

The study will The main purpose is
collect data through to further investigate
Evaluating the
quantitative method some aspects of
effectiveness of
students of grade 12 public speaking
public speaking
GAS in order to anxiety (PSA) and
activities on
find out the causes the strategies for
speaking anxiety
or factors of their overcoming public
level of public speaking anxiety
among grade 12

This framework shows that Evaluating the Effectiveness of Public Speaking Activities on Speaking

Anxiety (Independent variables) has an effect on Speaking Anxiety (Dependent variable). The Public

Speaking Activities depends on whether it has an effect on student’s speaking anxiety or not.
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STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of public speaking activities on speaking anxiety of

Grade 12- GAS students. Specifically, it seeks answers to the following questions:

1.What are the struggles encountered by the Grade 12- GAS students in every public speaking activity?

2. What are the strategies used by the respondents in overcoming public speaking anxiety?

3. What are the effects of Public Speaking to respondents speaking anxiety?

4. Based from the findings, what are the possible interventions/programs/activities that can be developed to

solve this problem?

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DEFINITION OF TERMS

A variety of definitions in this study are all indicated as follows:

Activities. refers to the condition in which things are happening or being done.

Anxiety. refers to the reaction of the bodies towards stressful, dangerous, or uncomfortable situations. It's

the sense of distress, or apprehension you feel before a significant event.

Factors contributing to public speaking anxiety. refers to the various factors leading the public speaker to

have a level of anxiety while performing the public speeches.

Public Speaking (PS). refers to an oral presentation in which a speaker addresses an audience.

Public Speaking Anxiety (PSA). refer to the fear experienced by a person when delivering (or preparing to

deliver) a speech to an audience. PSA is sometimes referred to as stage fright or communication

apprehension.

Public Speaking Strategies. refer to using the public speaking strategies in oral communication, particularly

performing the public speech in front of the audiences of grade 12 HUMMS.

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SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

This study will benefit the following:

Researchers. this study will serve as their foundation and comparison of their study and researcher will

use the results of our current study to validate their findings Additionally, the data gathered from this study

will be used to identify areas of improvement and potential future research direction.

Students. this study will urge the students to speak in the public with confidence with their self. It acts as

the medicine to each individual’s mind making more confidence to the consequence of their speak.

School. school must inform the student and the parents of their students about public speaking anxiety

and they should make an outline on particular steps to perform in the events that it happens.

Teacher. this might help the teachers identify which students are engaging in public speaking anxiety

and give the students some advice.

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SCOPE AND DELIMITATION

This study will focus on evaluating the effectiveness of public speaking activities on speaking

anxiety. This study will be conducted at Ligao National High School, Guilid ,Ligao City, Albay . The

respondent of the study is all the grade 12- GAS students.

This study will mainly identify and evaluate the different factors that affects the Public Speaking

Activities of the Senior High School Students (12-GAS). Also, this study yearns to identify on how can the

researcher develop and evaluate the Senior High School Students to be self and governance in identifying,

dealing and intervening with the different speaking anxiety issues related to public speaking activities that

the High School Students is currently facing and the problem that may come into future.
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CHAPTER 2

METHODOLOGY

In this chapter it provides an overview of the systematic process and techniques use to collect data in a

research Study. It includes the specific methods, tools, and step followed to gather relevant information from

research participants or source, ensuring the realizability and validity of data for analysis and interpretation.

RESEARCH DESIGN

This study is a Quantitative Research using a Descriptive research design.

The researchers will use Descriptive research design because this method aims to describe and depict the

characteristics, behaviors, or phenomena of a particular population other situation. It involves collecting data

through Survey Questioners, or existing records, and then organizing and summarizing the data to provide a

comprehensive description of the research subject. We chose descriptive research design because the

researcher wants to evaluate the causes of students having a speaking anxiety in public speaking activities.

SOURCE OF DATA

There were two sources of data in this study, which are called the primary and secondary sources of

data. The respondents to the questionnaire give the primary data sources. While the secondary data source

came from the various related literature and studies, such as books, journals, and the internet, that have

relevance to the subject.

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POPULATION AND SAMPLING

This study aimed to determine the factors affecting the grades of Senior High School (12-GAS)
students. The participants in the study are the 12-GAS Students.
Since it is generally impossible to study the entire population of the SHS students in the Ligao National High

School, the researchers rely on sampling to acquire a section of SHS students survey and observe. There are

twenty (20) respondents in Ligao National High School who experienced speaking anxiety. It is important

that the 12-GAS students selected be representative of all SHS students. The researchers used random

sampling in conducting the study.

Random sampling is a method used in statistics and research to select a subset of individuals or items

from a large population. The goal of random sampling is to ensure that the subset chosen is representative of

the entire population, allowing researcher to make inference or generalizations about the population based in

the sample.

The researcher decided to conduct a study about the different factors that affect the grades in Ligao

National High School. In this way, the students will be aware of the things that make their grades increase or

decrease. This research will also help the SHS students to have a further knowledge about their speaking

anxiety and can find a way to prevent it from being afraid to speak in public.

INSTRUMENTATION

The instrument used a survey questionnaire to gather the necessary data for the Grade 12-GAS

students in Ligao National High School. The draft of the questionnaire was released based on what the

researchers have read, including published and unpublished research related to the study. In the preparation

of the instrument, the design requirements for the efficient data collection were considered. Open-ended
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options are provided to receive free-format views related to the topic or issues. In this way, the instrument

allowed for valid responses from the students who experienced public speaking anxiety.

DATA GATHERING PROCEDURE

The researchers would undertake the following steps and procedures in gathering data and

information needed in the study. First, the researchers will secure the approval of the principal in conducting

the study. Upon the approval of the principal, the researchers will prepare the survey instruments. The

researcher will send the completed survey questionnaire to the research adviser to ensure that there were no

errors in the instrument and its validity. After the approval and endorsement from the research’s adviser and

school principal, the researcher will proceed to the data gathering by giving the survey instrument to the

respondents. Nonetheless, before the collection of data will took place, the researchers will ensure that the

following ethical procedures will be follow and observe:

a. Informed participation and voluntary consent.

The researchers will ensure that before the data gathering and giving of the survey

instruments, they will discuss and explain the purpose of the study and its proceedings. After

that, they will ask for the respondent’s approval. Following this, the researchers will discuss

and inform the target respondents what will happen to the information they gave if they

agreed to be the respondent of the study. The researchers will assure that the respondents of

the study were not forced to participate; rather, they volunteered to be the respondents of the

study.

b. Privacy, Confidentiality, and safety.

The researchers will guarantee to the respondents that the information that they had given will be

treated accordingly and safely. The information and data collected to them would be kept in public. Also, if
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any respondents didn’t want to use their data or drop their name, the researchers respected it and would

secure the certain information. After collecting the needed information, the researchers tallied, processed,

interpreted, and analyzed the data gathered.

DATA ANALYSIS

To clearly define variables related to academic performance (Public Speaking Activities) and Public

Speaking Anxiety. The research will collect relevant data through survey, questionnaire, or interviews,

ensure a diverse and representative sample to capture various perspectives.

RISK ASSESSMENT

The researcher had difficulties in meeting their deadline due to a lack of internet access to technology

which resulted in an inability to complete the requirement of their action plan. On the other hand, they also

encounter some difficulties in reaching their validators which also results in delay in schedules on

conducting their survey. Another risk that the researcher encountered is the difficulty in giving the survey

questionnaire to their target respondents in Senior High School student in Ligao National High School.

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