Investigating The Impact of Communication Apprehension on Learning Public Speaking of English Major Students

Being able to stand in front of a crowd and speak in front of an audience is important for improving the academic achievement of individuals in the present as well as support for future career development. McCroskey and Richmond (1987) assert that the ability to speak in public is important for persuasion and effective communication because it allows people to confidently convey their ideas, engage an audience, and express themselves clearly. However, Horwitz et al. (1991) define linguistic CA as the feelings of discomfort or uncomfortable experienced by foreign language learners. Learning a foreign language can be stressful for many students, especially when they are in the classroom. This study aimed to investigate the impact of communication apprehension (CA) on the learning of public speaking skills among English major students at Nam Can Tho University. A quantitative data collection method was used to address three key research questions: (1) How does communication apprehension affect the learning of public speaking skills? (2) What are the common causes of communication apprehension among English major students? (3) What are the possible methods to reduce communication apprehension and improve public speaking skills? The study utilizes a questionnaire including 47 questions to identify common causes of communication apprehension (CA) to explore potential strategies to deal with CA in public speaking. The Reliability Analysis on 50 items of these clusters showed that the reliability coefficient of the questionnaire could be acceptable for all parts. The sample consisted of 135 university students enrolled in English Studies major in 4 different classes. They averaged around 18 to 22 years of age with 29,6 percent being males, and 70,4 percent being female. The result showed that the preparation skills significantly impact the result of public speaking. Besides, based on the questionnaire result, factors like inappropriate self-expectations, fear of evaluation, excessive focus on the topic, and fear of the audience's reactions have no effect or minor effect on their public speaking. The findings of this research help the students improve their public speaking skills and inform the development of effective interventions to enhance their communication competence.