The impact of AI applications on pre-service teachers' public speaking anxiety and academic speaking skill in the context of oral presentations: A mixed-methods study

This mixed-methods study investigates the effects of Yoodli and ChatGPT on reducing public speaking anxiety (PSA) and enhancing academic speaking in the context of oral presentation (ASCOP) skills among 60 pre-service Turkish-as-a-first-language (L1) teachers (30 experimental, 30 control). Grounded in Vygotsky's scaffolding theory, the 10-week intervention employed t -tests and ANCOVA for quantitative analysis and content analysis for qualitative data. Statistically significant improvements ( p < .001) were observed in PSA reduction and ASCOP enhancement. Qualitative themes included motivation, feedback, and self-confidence. Findings suggest artificial intelligence (AI) tools offer scaffolded, learner-centered support, with implications for teacher training and the integration of AI in higher education pedagogy. • AI tools effectively reduce pre-service teachers' public speaking anxiety. • ChatGPT and Yoodli significantly enhance pre-service teachers' oral skills. • AI-integrated teaching outperforms traditional methods for pre-service teachers. • Artificial intelligence serves as an innovative scaffolding mechanism in teacher education. • Study underscores AI's role in advancing teacher education practices.