Students’ Anxiety and its Causes in Oral Presentation at University Level: A Sequential Explanatory Mix Method Study

Abstract

In recent decades, educational experts have increasingly expressed concern about the prevalence of anxiety among students during oral presentations. Academic achievement is seen as a critical factor in students' future prospects, but regrettably, the rate of engagement of students in oral presentation is reducing every day. The key objectives of the study were to evaluate students' anxiety in oral presentation at higher level and to investigate the reasons behind students' anxiety in oral presentation. This study followed a sequential explanatory approach within a mixed-methods framework. Both quatitative and Qualitative techniques were used to gather the data. A survey using a five-point rating system, having a considerable level of  internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha of 0.8), was developed for quantitative data gathering. The study targeted both male and female students from The Islamia University of Bahawalpur (IUB) and Government Sadiq College, and Women's University of Bahawalpur (GSCWU). The total population of the study was consisted of 51746. Table of Krejci and Morgan (1970) was utilized in order to calculate the sample size. Out of the total population, 367 students were selected using simple random sampling technique. After quantitative data collection data was entered in SPSS version 20, the results indicated that female students exhibited a significant level of anxiety during oral presentations, primarily attributed to a fear of public speaking and a high significant level of anxiety. On the bases of quantitative findings, qualitative interviews were conducted with 10 students selected through purposive sampling. The qualitative data revealed several key reasons behind students' anxiety during oral presentations, including low self-confidence, fear of public speaking, fear of public judgment, communication gaps between students and teachers, and a lack of interest for oral presentations.