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Understanding The Fear Of Public Speaking Among HUMSS Students Of

Pasay City South HIgh School

A Research Presented
To The Faculty Of
Senior High School Department
Pasay City South High School

In Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements in the Senior High School
In Research in Daily Life

By
Apat, Jaycel
Cabudbud, Cyrill
Casuyon, Chel Rose
Cuadro, Charmaine
Desolo, Elainna
Gabo, Iayvne Ross

November 2023
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CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION

One's adaptability is essential the ability to learn from experiences: the

power to retain from one experience something which is of avail in coping with
the difficulties of a later situation (Dewey, 1916, p. 53)

Fear of public speaking is a common form of anxiety. It can range from

slight nervousness to paralyzing fear and panic. Many people with this fear
avoid public speaking situations altogether, or they suffer through them with
shaking hands and a quavering voice.

The Department of Education (DepEd) implemented the K-12 curriculum

where in two years of education were added from the former one. In School
Year 2012-2013, the enhanced curriculum for K to 12 was implemented. In
2013, K to 12 was enacted into law known as RA 10533. SHS Curriculum was
finished in 2014 and for 2015, the Department is getting ready for the
implementation of the SHS. This is where Grade 11and 12 fills in the years
where students get to choose their track containing different strands that can
be considered as a basic learning for their desired occupation. Humanities and
Social Sciences or HUMSS is one of the strands in line with the academic
track which exposes students in a field where expressing out their thoughts,
opinions, perform Public speaking, and mass communication are basically
play a significant role in this strand.

In line with this, Oral Communication in the context is one of the core
subjects in Senior High School (SHS) curriculum which implies
communication. Basically, The topics included in Oral Communication are
speeches, presentations, and discussions are some of its forms wherein
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HUMSS students are expected to develop their speaking skills and good at
since their strand is considered the most exposed when it comes to the said
field.

According to Colman, A. M. (2006), public speaking anxiety is not a

mental disorder. Rather, it is a normal reaction to a stressful situation. Most
people experience some degree of anxiety prior to a performance, but some
people may experience more extreme anxiety that interferes with their ability
to perform at all.

Background of the Study

Public speaking creates anxiety for those who usually do that (Chandler,
as cited by Pomfret, 2016). Fear of public speaking is called ‘glossophobia’,
which is a major source of anxiety among the speakers. According to the
National Social Anxiety Center, 73% of the population has some degree of
glossophobia. While it may be intimidating, learning how to effectively speak in
public is an important skill to cultivate, particularly as students prepare for
college. According to the study of Raja (2017), overcoming anxiety in the field
of public speaking is important before a student transmits from academic life to
professional life. The study of Raja also revealed that exposure to a virtual
environment can improve students’ confidence and improve students'
confidence and enable them to face the audience.

Recent researchers have also been proven that public speaking is very
essential and useful to the students in developing the communication skills
(Mabuan, 2017 as cited in the study of Soto–Caban, Selvi, & Auila- Medina,
2011). With that, the researchers see that students would do a lot of reading,
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research and practice to have an informative public speech. (Nguyen, 2015).

Definitely, every learner need to develop even just the basics of public
speaking, whether a person has a different goal of a profession (Teodosijevic,
2015).

Based on a research, the biggest phobia out there isn’t spiders, heights
or even death, it is public speaking. In fact, statistics say that 3 out of 4 people
or around 75% suffer from speech anxiety or as it is known in psych-speak,
glossophobia.This may seem alarmingly high, but for many, it is very relatable.
Public speaking can be one of the most stressful events, yet it seems to be
one of the most unavoidable. Being able to verbally communicate effectively to
other individuals or to groups is essential in business, school, as well as in
one’s personal life. This necessary life skill requires training, self-confidence,
credibility, and personal attributes that can often be difficult to exercise.

Communication skills include public speaking as a way of creating and

improving personal development on different stages. Developing the skills of a
person in the field of public speaking gives much essence to meet the goals
(Barnard, 2017). Public speaking is an effective skill that everyone should
have and develop. It gets easier with practice and training for the senior high
school students. Public speaking will be useful to the senior high school
students in the form of presentation and oral assessment in school which
could give a significant portion of the final grade. Public speaking will definitely
useful to the students when entering the professional world, especially when
working in a business setting. Being able to speak fluently and confidently
could lead to a greater career opportunities. For the students, improving the
basic skills in speaking still, provide benefits and preparing for real-life
scenarios (Thomas, 2019).
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Academic performance particularly in subjects that require oral

communication can serve as the determining factor of their Public Speaking
Anxiety level as it largely exposes them in public setting.

There are many reasons or factors that can cause or influence students’
speech anxiety. Sandin (2017, p. 22) describes speech anxiety as arising not
from one single situation, but rather Multiple situations with bad experiences
related to spoken interaction. Horwitz et al. (1986, p. 130) found that students
often experience a feeling of being less competent in the second Language
compared to their peers. They worry about falling behind, that other students
are better at the second language, and that others may make fun of them
when they speak English. In a similar vein, Khan (2015) concludes in his study
that most classrooms generate higher levels of anxiety if students feel
evaluated or stressed because “they are judged, their mistakes are
highlighted, and their grades are affected” (p. 51) when interacting in speech.

Statement of the Problem

The purpose of this study is to understand the strong fear of public

speaking and anxiety level of HUMSS students at Pasay City South High
School. The goal of this study is to determine whether students still report
being more afraid of public speaking than they are of dying. At this stage in the
research, the strong fear of public speaking will be generally defined as a very
difficult for sufferers to communicate verbally in order to express their ideas
and thoughts. (Bernard, 2017).

The students -researcher seeks to answer the following questions:

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1. Do HUMSS Students experience speech anxiety?

2. What are the causes or factors affecting speech anxiety among the HUMSS
students?
3. What strategies or techniques do individuals find most helpful in overcoming
or managing their fear of public speaking?

Scope and Limitation

This study focuses mainly on the fear of the students especially in

public speaking. The scope of this research is to determine the factors that
can affect the fear of students and examine their anxiety level in public
speaking as one of the main problems of every student.This study will not
cover other problems that results in overcoming the fear of public speaking to
students. This will simply identify and understand what factors or reasons of
students why they have a fear when they speaking especially in public.

Significance of the Study

This study hopes to provide a great contribution and acknowledgement

to every Student whose hesitate and scared to speak in public, this study can
help them in boosting their confidence. This study is also a big help to
everyone because this study can give knowledge to speak what they want and
express their feelings.
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Furthermore, The results of this study could be highly significant and

beneficial to the following:

Students – This study will help students to improve their speaking

skills, boost confidence, improve critical thinking, and create new social
connections.

Teachers – This will make them satisfied if the students can adopt the
lesson or have the courage to speak about their lesson and try to recite it in
front of the class

Admin – This will help the records in their school of having active
students that participate in public speaking or associations in school

Future Researcher – In addition to benefiting you, research also

benefits future generations. It aids in the creation of brand-new diagnostic
tools, therapies, and procedures that may ultimately benefit the offspring or
perhaps your grand kids.

Definition of Terms

For clearer understanding of the readers about the contents of this

paper, the researcher included the definition of the following terms according
on to their use in this study:

GLOSSOPHOBIA. is a very common phobia characterized by a strong

fear of public speaking. Individuals with glossophobia may avoid speaking in
public, as they typically experience fear and anxiety when speaking in front of
a group of people.

PUBLIC SPEAKING. also called oratory or oration, has traditionally

meant speaking in person to a live audience. Today it includes speaking,
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formally or informally, to an audience through technology — live, pre-recorded,

or at a distance.

HUMSS. Humanities and Social Sciences is one of the academic

tracks offered in Senior High School. This strand is designed for students who
are planning to take up Communication and other speaking-related courses.
For this reason, respondents of the study were drawn out from this strand.

PUBLIC SPEAKING ANXIETY. Fear experienced by a person when

delivering a speech in front of vast audience. In this study, this serves as the
dependent variable since the researchers are trying to find its relation to the
student’s scholarship status and academic performance in Oral
Communication.

ANXIETY. Refers to anticipation of a future concern and is more

associated with muscle tension and avoidance behavior. Fear is an emotional
response to an immediate threat and is more associated with a fight or flight
reaction – either staying to fight or leaving to escape danger.

CHAPTER 2
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

In this chapter tackles about the various concept, ideas..etc. related to

study which serves as researchers’ guide in developing the research paper.
These reviewed literature and studies either in whole or in part found
similarities and differences with the present literature.

RELATED LITERATURE

In their study titled “Student fears of oral presentations and public

speaking in higher education,” Grieve et al. (2021) aimed to examine the fears
and coping strategies of students who have a fear of public speaking,
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particularly in the context of oral presentations. The study also sought to

determine whether this fear had an impact on their overall experience in
higher education. Through a qualitative survey, several significant findings
emerged. Firstly, it was observed that students who experienced a fear of
public speaking reported negative effects on their learning and overall student
experience when faced with public speaking tasks. The primary fears
expressed by these students revolved around concerns of being judged by
others, uncertainty about the topic they were presenting, and experiencing
physical symptoms of anxiety.

Dansieh et al. (2021) conducted a study on “Glossophobia: The

Fear of Public Speaking in ESL Students in Ghana.” The study aimed to
investigate the factors associated with glossophobia among ESL students at
Dr. Hilla Limann Technical University in Upper-West Ghana and provide
recommendations to enhance their public speaking skills. The research
employed both quantitative and qualitative methods, conducting an opinion
poll with 46 participants from the Level 300 class of the Secretaryship and
Management Studies of the Business School. The participants recognized the
importance of public speaking but admitted that glossophobia hindered
them from making a favorable impression on the audience when they had to
speak in public during their student lives. Speaking in English before a crowd
was identified as the most feared experience. To help students overcome
glossophobia, the study suggests that lecturers should employ an interactive
approach and employ effective communication strategies to foster positive
attitudes and create a supportive environment that boosts students’
confidence.

Rob Grieve et al., (2021) stated a study "Student fears of oral

presentations and public speaking in higher education: a qualitative survey"
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aims that the Oral presentations and public speaking are an important aspect
of the student experience in the United Kingdom higher education. Many
modules (self-contained units normally within a programme of study) use
presentations as a form of assessment and require students to verbally
engage in small and large group settings to enhance learning. Previous
research evidence has indicated that many students experience fear in public
speaking. The aims of this qualitative survey were two-fold. First, it sought to
gather further insight into the fears experienced and strategies used by
students who fear public speaking, including oral presentations. The second
objective was to determine whether their fear affected their experience of
higher education.

Rodero & Larrea (2022) conducted a study on “Virtual Reality with

Distractors to Overcome Public Speaking Anxiety in University Students.” The
study aimed to help college students who experience fear of public speaking,
known as Public Speaking Anxiety (PSA), by implementing a training program
using Virtual Reality (VR) with distractors. The results indicated that the VR
training significantly reduced anxiety levels in the experimental group, while no
significant differences were observed in the control group. Furthermore, male
students exhibited higher levels of anxiety compared to female students.
Participants generally had a positive impression of the VR training. These
findings demonstrate the effectiveness of Virtual Reality software with
distractors in alleviating public speaking anxiety.

Sahara and Nurcholis (2022) made a study on “The Causes of

Glossophobia in the Students Speaking Classroom,” Their study aimed to
identify the factors contributing to glossophobia among students in the
speaking classroom. The research was conducted in the Study Program of
Muhammadiyah Bengkulu and employed a descriptive qualitative approach. A
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25-item questionnaire was used as the research instrument. The findings

indicated that anxiety, fear, and negative thinking were the primary causes of
glossophobia among students in the speaking classroom at the
Study Program of Muhammadiyah Bengkulu.

Christy et al., (2021) conducted a study entitled “The Effect of Speaking

Anxiety on Students’ Performance in Speech Class,” aimed to assess the level
of anxiety experienced by students and its impact on their performance in a
speech class, as well as identify the factors contributing to this anxiety. The
research employed a descriptive approach and focused on students from the
English Department who took the speech subject at STKIP PGRI Sumatera
Barat during the 2018/2019 academic year. Out of the 50 students, 12 (25%)
were selected as participants for the study. Data collection involved three
instruments: a speaking test, a questionnaire, and interviews. The results
indicated that, overall, the students had a moderate level of anxiety in terms of
communication apprehension, low levels of negative fear evaluation, and low
levels of test anxiety. It was found that students with low levels of anxiety in
these three areas performed well in the speech test, suggesting that anxiety
has an impact on students’ performance. The interviews revealed that
students’ anxiety predominantly stemmed from internal factors, such as the
fear of being ridiculed or lacking confidence.

Zetterkvist (2021) conducted a study titled “A qualitative study about

speech anxiety and its challenges from a student perspective.” The study
aimed to explore the attitudes of Swedish upper secondary school students
towards speaking in the English as a second language (ESL) classroom and
to investigate their suggestions for managing speech anxiety. The participants
consisted of male and female students from various school years and English
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courses. Interviews were conducted, transcribed, and analyzed in relation to

the research questions. The findings revealed that students perceive speech
anxiety differently depending on the context. The students expressed
that reducing speech anxiety could be achieved through effective
communication
between teachers and students, where solutions are sought to address any
discomfort. Additionally, students emphasized the importance of being more
prepared as a means to alleviate speech anxiety.

In the study titled “Anxiety level in students of public speaking: Causes

and remedies” conducted by Raja in 2020, the focus was on understanding
the factors contributing to public speaking anxiety among undergraduate
students. The study aimed to identify strategies for reducing these anxiety
levels. It explored the reasons behind students’ fear of public speaking and the
consequences it has on their academic and professional lives. Many
professionals worldwide face challenges due to theirinsufficient public
speaking skills, despite being proficient in their respective fields. To succeed in
their transition from academia to the professional world, students need to
overcome their fear of public speaking, as their assessments often fail to
capture their true professional competitiveness. However, this fear can be
overcome, and research suggests that exposure to virtual environments can
enhance students’ self-confidence and prepare them to address audiences of
any size.

Elze Landkroon et al.,(2021) Exposure-based therapy is an effective

treatment for social anxiety, but some patients relapse. We used a novel
virtual reality procedure to examine spontaneous recovery (i.e., a return of fear
over time) and fear renewal (i.e., the return of fear after a context switch) in
individuals with fear of public speaking. On Day 1, 32 participants received
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exposure training before a virtual audience. On Day 8, participants completed

a spontaneous recovery phase, followed by a fear renewal test, in which they
gave a presentation in front of a new (context switch) or the same audience
(no context switch). After exposure, participants exhibited a lower heart rate,
subjective distress, negative valence, and arousal. One week later,
participants showed spontaneous recovery of heart rate, and the context
switch group showed renewal of subjective distress, negative valence, and
arousal. Future studies can use this procedure to test interventions aimed at
improving long-term exposure effects in individuals with public speaking fear.

Ana Gallego et al., (2020) conducted a study of "Examining the

relationship between public speaking anxiety, distress tolerance and
psychological flexibility" Public speaking is an important skill for university
students to learn and practice as they progress through education and into
their careers. However, individuals often avoid facing public speaking, as they
lack the skills to cope with the anxiety that arises when speaking in front of
others. The current study aimed to investigate the relationship between public
speaking anxiety, distress tolerance, and psychological flexibility.

In the study titled “Educational technology as a means to improve public

speaking skills” conducted by Ivanova et al. in 2020, the researchers explore
the use of educational technology in enhancing public speaking abilities. The
article presents key recommendations for improving public speaking,
specifically through the integration of educational technology. A systematic
approach to preparing a public speech is outlined, taking into account the
anxiety associated with addressing an audience. The study emphasizes that
the development of effective communication skills is crucial for a high-quality
educational experience, as it is a criterion used globally to share, evaluate,
and make decisions among individuals.
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CHAPTER 3
METHODOLOGY

This chapter reveals the methods of research to be employed by the

researcher in conducting the study which includes the research design,
population of the study,research instrument and its development
establishing its validity and reliability, data gathering procedures, and the
appropriate statistical treatment of data.

Research Design

The researchers chose to employ descriptive design for this study. This
study is mainly about exploring the level of anxiety of HUMSS students, and to
determine the factors of speech anxiety among students. This descriptive
design is employed as this study aims to visualize the impact of fear of public
speaking towards the respondents, thus surveying as guide for the
researchers to derive conclusions and findings about this inquiry.

Research Local

The research study will be conducted in Pasay City South High School,
which is located at Piccio Garden Villamor Air Base Pasay City. As part of the
Senior High School subject, Practical Research 2, it will be presented to the
faculty of Pasay City South High School's Senior High School Department.

Population and Sampling

The respondents of this current study will mainly focus on the

population of Senior High School students, especially the Humanities and
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Social Sciences (HUMSS) Strand. The target sample is 100 students from
HUMSS strand. The researcher employed the simple random technique as
sampling method, where they simple pick their respondents from different
sections from HUMSS strand.

Research Instrument

The data collection instrument utilized in this quantitative research is a

survey questionnaire employing a 1 to 5 rating scale. Specifically, the tool
employed in the current study for data collection is the Personal Report of
Public Speaking Anxiety (PRPSA) questionnaire. Originally developed by
McCroskey in 1970, this questionnaire comprises 34 items designed to assess
the fear of public speaking, focusing on aspects such as attitude, psychology,
and emotional experiences.

Within the PRPSA questionnaire, 22 items convey negative sentiments,

for example, "I feel anxious while waiting to give my speech," while the
remaining 12 items express positive sentiments, such as "I enjoy preparing for
a speech." In the data analysis process, the positively worded items within the
PRPSA were reversed, ensuring that higher scores on the scale consistently
indicate a greater fear of public speaking.

It is noteworthy that all 34 items exhibit excellent internal consistency

with a coefficient of 0.94, and they demonstrate good test-retest reliability with
a coefficient of 0.84, as reported by Mortberg et al. in 2018. These reliability
measures attest to the instrument's robustness and stability in capturing
respondents' perceptions of public speaking anxiety.

The severity of the public speaking anxiety is categorized in PRPSA

under 3 levels where scores above 131 indicate high anxiety, scores between
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98 and 131indicate moderate anxiety while scores below 98 indicate low

anxiety.