Summary
Objectives
The aims of the study were to determine the prevalence of fear of public speaking
among college students and to assess its association with sociodemographic variables
and those related to the voice and oral communication.
Methods
A cross-sectional descriptive and analytic study was conducted with 1135 undergraduates
aged 17–58 years. The assessment instruments were (1) a questionnaire addressing the
variables sex, age, field of undergraduate study, voice, and frequency of exposure
to public speaking, and (2) the Self-statements During Public Speaking Scale (SSPS),
which includes variables implicated in specific domains of public speaking. A descriptive
analysis was performed of the variables as well as uni- and multivariate logistic
regressions to examine their association with fear of public speaking. The level of
significance was set at 5%.
Results
In all, 63.9% of the college students reported fear of public speaking. As many as
89.3% of the students would like their undergraduate program to include classes to
improve public speaking. Being female, having infrequent participation as speakers
in groups, and perceiving their voice as high-pitched or too soft increase the odds
of exhibiting fear of public speaking compared with students without those features.
Conclusion
A great number of undergraduates report fear of public speaking. This fear is more
prevalent among women, students who participate in few activities involving speaking
to groups of people, and those who have a self-perception of their voice as high-pitched
or too soft.
Key Words
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: February 15, 2016
Accepted:
December 21,
2015
Identification
Copyright
© 2017 The Voice Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
