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Cited by 23EFL/ESL Teaching and LearningCommunication in Education and HealthcareStudent Stress and Coping

A systematic review of self-coping strategies used by university students to cope with public speaking anxiety

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Tee, Xue Ting, Kamarulzaman, Wirawahida, Tan Joanna, Tjin Ai·2020·English Language Teaching
DOI 10.5539/elt.v13n10p57
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Abstract

Despite a growing body of research on instructor techniques and treatments to mitigate public speaking anxiety, this issue remains prominent, especially among university students. An alternative to mitigating such anxiety is to identify authentic coping strategies that university students could practice in actual situations. Numerous studies have attempted to explore students’ personal and social factors with the objective of suggesting suitable coping strategies to reduce the fear of public speaking. This paper reviews the existing evidence to understand the complexities of strategies that university students use to reduce their fear of public speaking. Nine peer-reviewed studies published between 2015 and 2020 were selected for this review from Science Direct and Google Scholar, using search terms such as “public speaking anxiety” and “coping strategies.” The analysis revealed that university students who (a) had an intermediate level of English language proficiency and a high level of speaking anxiety adopted both compensation and metacognitive strategies; (b) had a high level of English language proficiency and speaking anxiety adopted the affective strategy; and (c) had a high level of speaking anxiety and were exposed to full English medium instruction contexts adopted both social and memory strategies. This review, therefore, provides a better understanding of how university students cope with public speaking anxiety and at the same time urges educators to refine their pedagogical methods to lower the psychological barrier of speaking.

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Research works printed but not linked: 5

  1. He, D. (2017). How to cope with foreign language speaking anxiety effectively? The case of university students in China. Electronic Journal of Foreign Language Teaching, 14(2), 159-174. Retrieved from https://e-flt.nus.edu.sg/
  2. North, M., & Rives, J. (2001). Virtual reality therapy in aid of public speaking. International Journal of Virtual Reality, 3, 2-7.
  3. Pandey, M., & Pandey, P. (2014). Better English for better employment opportunities. International Journal of Multidisciplinary Approach and Studies, 1(4), 93-100.
  4. Pratama, R., Ikhsanudin, I., & Salam, U. (2018). A student's strategies to overcome speaking anxiety in public speaking class. Jurnal Pendidikan dan Pembelajaran Khatulistiwa, 7(9), 1-8.
  5. Salter, P. (2012, December 2). Developing self-regulated learning in secondary schools [Paper presentation]. Joint AARE APERA International Conference, Sydney. Retrieved from https://www.aare.edu.au/publications/aare-conference-papers/show/7086/developing-self-regulated-learners -in-secondary-schools

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Authors
Tee, X. T., Kamarulzaman, W., & Tan Joanna, T. A.
Affiliations
Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (MY)
Venue
English Language Teaching
Publisher
Canadian Center of Science and Education
Published
2020-09-09
Volume
13
Issue
10
Pages
57
ISSN
  • 1916-4742 (ISSN-L)
  • 1916-4750
DOI
10.5539/elt.v13n10p57
OpenAlex
W3089223022
Cited by
23
References
41
Citations by year
2026: 5 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 7 · 2022: 1
FWCI
2.64
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • English Language Teaching (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (acceptedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Language and Linguistics › EFL/ESL Teaching and Learning
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Communication in Education and Healthcare
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Student Stress and Coping
Keywords
public speaking anxiety, coping strategies, university students, speaking anxiety, English proficiency, compensatory strategies, metacognitive strategies, affective strategies, social strategies, memory strategies, English-medium instruction

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