Date of Defense

24-5-2024 10:30 AM

Location

Building H1- Room 0002

Document Type

Thesis Defense

Degree Name

Master of Education (Curriculum and Instruction)

College

College of Education

Department

Curriculum & Instruction

First Advisor

Dr. Negmeldin Omer Alsheikh

Keywords

Oral presentations, anxiety, strategies, verbal, nonverbal, communication performance, language competence, linguistics, Arab students, ESL.

Abstract

This study explored Arab college students' oral presentation performance and anxiety using a convergent mixed-method design. The study used three data sets; in the first data set, the college students (n=265) completed an Oral Presentation and Anxiety Survey (OPAS); and the second data set featured a semi-structured interview with a subset sample (n=11), followed by an observation protocol with the interviewees (n=11) for the third data set. The quantitative findings revealed that technological aids significantly affected the levels of Language Anxiety experienced during Oral Presentations. The mean scores showed that females perceived more technical support than males. Additionally, a difference was observed among participants from different study colleges. The qualitative results can be divided into four main areas: a) Language-related factors, such as the difference between receptive and productive language skills and how language proficiency affects oral presentations; b) Social and environmental factors, including the fear of being evaluated by the instructor and the benefits of comparing one's performance with that of other students; c) Strategies for coping with anxiety, such as preparing in advance, being familiar with the topic, and using visual aids; d)the use of nonverbal communication and visual aids to improve the quality of oralpresentations. The study included some curriculum, pedagogy, instruction, and researchrecommendations.

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May 24th, 10:30 AM

THE FEELING OF BEING ON THE STAGE: ARAB COLLEGE STUDENTS' ORAL PRESENTATION PERFORMANCE AND ANXIETY: A MIXED METHOD STUDY

Building H1- Room 0002

This study explored Arab college students' oral presentation performance and anxiety using a convergent mixed-method design. The study used three data sets; in the first data set, the college students (n=265) completed an Oral Presentation and Anxiety Survey (OPAS); and the second data set featured a semi-structured interview with a subset sample (n=11), followed by an observation protocol with the interviewees (n=11) for the third data set. The quantitative findings revealed that technological aids significantly affected the levels of Language Anxiety experienced during Oral Presentations. The mean scores showed that females perceived more technical support than males. Additionally, a difference was observed among participants from different study colleges. The qualitative results can be divided into four main areas: a) Language-related factors, such as the difference between receptive and productive language skills and how language proficiency affects oral presentations; b) Social and environmental factors, including the fear of being evaluated by the instructor and the benefits of comparing one's performance with that of other students; c) Strategies for coping with anxiety, such as preparing in advance, being familiar with the topic, and using visual aids; d)the use of nonverbal communication and visual aids to improve the quality of oralpresentations. The study included some curriculum, pedagogy, instruction, and researchrecommendations.