A Study of Public Speaking Anxiety during Presentation at Universitas Islam Malang

Abstract

Learners may face anxiety when they try to deliver a presentation or speech in public. Delivering a speech or oral presentation in front of a live audience of classmates in the classroom can cause anxiety, which is called public speaking anxiety. Whether male or female, learners often have to face fear, especially in public speaking classes. Thus, it is crucial to analyze the anxiety level of third-semester students and to determine the different levels of anxiety experienced by male and female students in public speaking classes during presentations at Universitas Islam Malang. A quantitative approach with descriptive quantitative and causal-comparative design was used in this study. The descriptive quantitative research design was used to describe the anxiety level of third-semester students in the public speaking class at the Universitas Islam Malang when speaking in public during presentations. Then, a causal-comparative research design was used to determine the different levels of anxiety experienced by males and females in public speaking classes. The researcher utilized a purposive sample as a sampling technique. The participants were 55 third-semester students consisting of 20 male students and 35 female students who took and learned public speaking subjects in public speaking classes. The researcher used a Public Speaking Class Anxiety Scale (PSCAS), which was constructed by Yaikhong & Usaha (2012), as a questionnaire in Google Forms to collect the data. Then the researcher used SPSS 20 for descriptive statistics and independent T-tests to analyze the data. The findings of this study revealed that the first research problem question showed the average total was 3.14, which is considered moderate. This pointed out that the learners experienced moderate levels of public speaking anxiety. The learners sometimes experienced communication apprehension, test anxiety, fear of negative evaluation and comfort in using English during public speaking activity. Besides, the second finding revealed that female students indicated a mean score of 53.71, while male students showed a mean score of 52.95. This indicates that both male and female learners experienced moderate levels of public speaking anxiety, which means third-semester students sometimes felt anxious during presentations. Overall, it can be concluded that the learners who are in moderate level of public speaking anxiety experienced increased heart rate, thought incompetent, and started panicking. It revealed that learners experience physiological arousal, negative self-focused cognitions, and behavioral concomitants. Furthermore, there is no significant difference in public speaking anxiety levels experienced by male and female students in public speaking during presentations. Based on the findings, the researcher hopes that the lecturers should choose the appropriate approach such as giving the best guidance in presentation, vocal, body language techniques. Learners should recognize themselves to control their emotions when required to perform public speaking. Lastly, another approach and method are welcomed for further research to support this study. The use of a qualitative approach with a case study research design is recommended for future researchers, for future researchers can explore more deeply the factors that cause PSA and learners’ strategies to overcome public speaking anxiety during presentations. Keywords: presentation, public speaking, public speaking anxiety