An Experimental Study On The Effects Of The Showcase Assignment Treating Public Speaking Anxiety Through The Use Of Experiential Learning And Self Disclosure Theories

Author : Carol I. Saunders
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (135 download)

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Download or read book Examining the Effects of an Online Self-Talk Intervention on Public Speaking Anxiety and Speech Performance written by Carol I. Saunders and published by . This book was released on 2022 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: ABSTRACTPublic speaking is considered a valuable and necessary skill in professional, academic, and social contexts. However, research shows that public speaking anxiety is the top social fear for most people. Whereas public speaking anxiety exists among physical, cognitive, and behavioral dimensions, psychological approaches to intervention typically target cognitions. Negative self-talk is a component of cognitive anxiety, and interventions to improve self-talk have been widely implemented in clinical and sports psychology disciplines. This study examined the effects of a novel online self-talk intervention on public speaking anxiety reduction and speech performance ratings. The study also explored participants' perceptions of the intervention on reducing speech anxiety, improving speech performance, improving speech self-talk, and increasing speech self-efficacy of students in the college public speaking classroom context. This quasi-experimental research study utilized a convenience sample of 149 students enrolled in the public speaking basic course at a small, rural, state college in the southeastern United States region. The study included experimental and control groups. Data were analyzed primarily using quantitative methods with a smaller qualitative component. Results showed no significant differences between experimental and control groups in speech anxiety reduction, as assessed by the Personal Report of Public Speaking Anxiety (PRPSA) (McCroskey, 1970) and the Speech Anxiety Thoughts Inventory (SATI) (Cho and others, 2004) when comparisons were made from the beginning of the semester until the end. Speech anxiety in both the experimental group, which received skills training and the online self-talk intervention, and the control group, which received skills training alone, decreased from pre-test to post-test. Hierarchical multi-regression analyses revealed no significant predictor variables in terms of groups (experimental or control), gender, ethnicity, or college classification; however, PRPSA and SATI pre-test scores were found to be significant predictors of speech anxiety reduction. Results suggested that the majority of participants in the experimental group perceived the intervention as at least somewhat beneficial in reducing their speech anxiety, improving their speech performance, improving their speech self-talk, and increasing their speech self-efficacy. The participants indicated that the intervention was particularly beneficial in improving their speech self-talk and increasing their speech self-efficacy. Future research should focus on extending investigations on self-talk interventions on cognitive speech related variables, as the results here have implications for benefits not only to students, but for society at large.