THE STUDY OF EFL STUDENTS' PUBLIC SPEAKING ANXIETY AND ACADEMIC ORAL PRESENTATION STRATEGIES AT A TERTIARY LEVEL IN THAILAND
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Abstract
Public speaking is challenging for EFL learners unfamiliar with presentation norms and conventions. The difficulty of an oral presentation is higher when anxiety is involved. To assist novice speakers with their speaking worries, teachers and educators must understand the types of anxiety that can influence an individual's speaking performance. Therefore, the objectives of this study were twofold: 1) to explore factors contributing to anxiety in Science major students in giving an academic English oral presentation and 2) to investigate the strategies that EFL students employ to reduce anxiety during such presentations. Four newly graduated participants majoring in Textiles participated in a focus group interview using a semi-structured interview. The research instruments consisted of the focus group interview. The qualitative data were transcribed and analyzed using thematic analysis. The results reveal that the participants were worried about their oral presentation in several ways, including their lack of language resources, subject knowledge, few opportunities to speak English, and self-perception of pronunciation competence. Furthermore, the interviewees shared their public speaking strategies and how they managed to reduce their anxiety when speaking. The outcomes of this study provide valuable techniques for teachers and educators to help students overcome their speaking anxiety and increase their confidence.
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