FOREIGN LANGUAGE SPEAKING ANXIETY AND PUBLIC SPEAKING ANXIETY: IMPLICATIONS FOR ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN HIGHER EDUCATION

Abstract

Public speaking anxiety (PSA) or glossophobia is an utmost important psychological impediment that the students face while speaking in front of others and it is especially the case with speaking in foreign language in university settings. This research enquiry explores the connection amongst anxiety of foreign language speaking (FLSA) and public speaking anxiety with academic performance, besides gender variances in public speaking anxiety amongst the university students from Pakistan. The research utilized a quantitative cross-sectional research design and the number of students sampled was 250. The Personal Report of Public Speaking Anxiety (PRPSA), Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) and Academic Performance Scale (APS) are employed to assimilate the data. The reliability of the instruments was good. Independent-samples t-test and regression analyses showed that there were significantly greater levels of public speaking anxiety reported by female students than male students. The foreign language speaking anxiety demonstrated a momentous correlation with academic performance, and a strong association with public speaking anxiety. The results under emphasize the outcome of language-related anxiety on students’ communication and academic experiences, and the necessity of providing supportive educational interventions to develop communication confidence and decrease language-related anxiety. The study is a contribution in the form of evidence from the Pakistani higher education context and then it has practical implications for educators, curriculum developers and university counselors.