Suggestions for future studies - 預期特質焦慮與性別差異對英語公開演說情境焦慮所造成的作用

5.2 Conclusion

5.2.5 Suggestions for future studies

In Taiwan, there are few researches conducted on how to deal with public speaking anxiety, especially at high school levels. Hsieh (2006) identified nine problems for the English contestants who participated in a speech contest at the college level. More studies need to be done for high school students to know if they confront the same problems when they are giving English speeches or to provide different explanations for the causes of public speaking anxiety at different levels.

In this study, merely the effects of trait anxiety and gender difference were

examined to understand the distribution of state anxiety during three stages of a public speech. Future studies are advised to control different variables, such as the comparisons between formal and informal speeches, to know if there are other factors that influence the production of different psychological patterns. In addition, although gender difference has not been found in the state anxiety patterns, it does not imply that there is no difference between the two genders. Difference between the coping strategies which help different genders lower their anxiety can also be the focus of future studies.

Moreover, this study has discovered the distribution of state anxiety as a function of trait anxiety and gender difference in a foreign language environment.

More studies needed to be done to develop strategies to relieve students’ anxiety in such a context. Researchers are highly recommended to conduct more experiments which compare the effects of different anxiety reduction methods to help student overcome their anxiety in a foreign language environment like Taiwan.

5.3 Summary

This chapter includes the discussion and conclusion parts of this study. In short, this study reminds this researcher and many other English teachers in Taiwan of the influence of public speaking anxiety. First, this study implies that most students in this study might feel much anxiety from both the foreign language speaking context of Taiwan and the English speech contest. Second, this study suggests that the preparation process of the speech contest may help reduce students’ pre-speaking anxiety in both high- and low-trait anxious groups. However, both two trait anxious groups may still need their teacher’s help at the confrontation stage. Third, this study also suggests that both male and female groups may need pedagogical intervention at the confrontation stage as well. In addition, it may be because the speaking context of a foreign language environment in Taiwan and the English speech contest offered

much difficulty and the same pressure to both male and female students. As a result, there was no significant difference showed based on gender difference in the levels of state anxiety narrow-banded for the three stages.

In this study, there were still some limitations. First, it was a small-scale study.

Therefore, it can not be generalized to all EFL learners in Taiwan. Second, since this study was conducted in a formal speech contest, it was confined to the procedure of the contest. Several factors were found to cause some problems for this study.

As for the suggestions for future studies, this study has found the effects of trait anxiety and gender difference on state anxiety narrow-banded for the three stages:

anticipation, confrontation, and release stages. Future researchers should more carefully take the factors which may influence the results of this study into

consideration if they want to replicate this study. Besides, more studies need to be done at high school levels, to control different variables, and to compare the effects of different anxiety reduction methods in a FL environment like Taiwan.

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Appendix A

Rules of the Regional English Speech Contest (In Chinese)

新北市西區組99學年度國民中學英語文競賽實施計畫

項目參加對象評審標準內容規定比賽時間

逾時不予受理。申訴事項以競賽規則、秩序及比賽人員資格為限，對評審委員之評分及其他技術性、學術性者不得提出抗議。

（六）各組成績公布時間：100年3月12日（六）20時前。

（七）競賽當日若遇天災或疫情宣布停止上班上課，即停止辦理競賽，另擇期舉行。若比賽之前因災情嚴重交通無法通行，致使選手無法參賽，應向承辦學校報備，俾視各方配合條件以調整競賽日期。

（八）參賽選手於參加比賽，不得攜帶手機入場，並於參加比賽或頒獎時，不得穿著或配戴具有坊間補習班名義之衣服或飾品，經主辦單位勸止無效後，取消該選手比賽資格，獲獎者並取消其所獲獎項。

（九）各校應提供參賽學生英文姓名，建議引導學生以護照上英文姓名方式書寫，如李大同，Li,Datong，請參考附件護照外文姓名拼音對照表(詳如附件)。

（十）領隊會議後即不接受各校更改人員名單。

（十一）參賽選手須為具備中華民國國籍之國民。

六、檢附團體報名彙整表及個人報名表各1份(詳如附件1)。

玖、獎勵

一、依「臺北縣所屬各級學校辦理教師敘獎處理原則」第9項、「公立高級中等以下學校校長成績考核辦法」、「公立高級中等以下學校教師成績考核辦法」為敘獎原則。

二、教師指導學生參加全市各分組縣賽各項特優（比照第1名）記功1次，優等

（比照第2名）嘉獎2次，甲等（比照第3名）嘉獎2次，每項比賽指導老師以2人為限。指導教師非學校正式編制人員時，由各校發給優勝指導證明。

三、主辦單位及承辦學校績效優良者，主要承辦人員1至2人嘉獎2次為限，相關承辦人員各嘉獎1次(至多6人)，由各校本權責核實敘獎。

四、各組各項優勝人員，由教育局頒發獎狀。合於敘獎規定者，除校長另報府核獎外，其餘逕由各校依相關程序發布敘獎。

五、各項各組報名表未列指導老師者，競賽成績經發布後，不得補報、亦不得更換指導老師。

拾、經費來源：新北市政府教育局

拾壹、本計畫經新北市教育局核准後實施，修正時亦同

Appendix B

Rules of the English Contests Set by the Junior High School (In Chinese)

新北市立鷺江國中 99 學年度英語表達能力競賽實施辦法

演

Appendix C

Anticipatory Trait Anxiety Version of the A-Trait Scale (Lewis et al., 2007)

Waiting to Present a Public Speech

A number of statements which people have used to describe themselves are given below. Read each statement and then circle the appropriate value to the left of each statement to indicate how you generally feel while waiting to present (one minute before) a public speech. There are no right or wrong answers. Do not spend too much time on any one statement but give the answer that seems to describe your general feelings best. (1=Not at all; 2=Somewhat; 3=Moderately so; 4=Very much so).

so).

1. I would feel calm………..1 2 3 4 2. I would feel secure..………..1 2 3 4 3. I would be tense..……….…...………..1 2 3 4 4. I would feel strained..……….………..1 2 3 4 5. I would feel at ease……….………..1 2 3 4 6. I would feel upset..……….………..1 2 3 4 7. I’d worry about possible misfortune..………….………….……..……..1 2 3 4 8. I would feel satisfied....……….……….………..1 2 3 4 9. I would feel frightened..……….………..1 2 3 4 10. I would be comfortable..…...………..1 2 3 4 11. I would feel self-confident..………..………..1 2 3 4 12. I would feel nervous....……….………..1 2 3 4 13. I would be jittery.……….……….………..1 2 3 4 14. I would feel indecisive..………..……..………..1 2 3 4 15. I would be relaxed..……….………....1 2 3 4 16. I would feel content..……….………...1 2 3 4 17. I would be worried..……….……...………..……..1 2 3 4 18. I would feel confused………..………..………..1 2 3 4 19. I would feel steady..………..………..1 2 3 4 20. I would feel pleasant...……….……….…………..1 2 3 4

Appendix D

Anticipatory Trait Anxiety Version of the A-Trait Scale (Chinese Version)

(Adapted from Lewis et al., 2007) 各位同學你好：

Appendix E

The A-State Scale Narrow-banded for the Three Stages (Lewis et al.,

2007)

Waiting to Present a Public Speech (Anticipation)

A number of statements which people have used to describe themselves are given below. Read each statement and then circle the appropriate value to the left of each statement to indicate how you felt while waiting to present (one minute before) your public speech. There are no right or wrong answers. Do not spend too much time on any one statement but give the answer that seems to describe your feelings best. (1=Not at all; 2=Somewhat; 3=Moderately so; 4=Very much so).

1. I felt calm………..1 2 3 4 2. I felt secure..………..1 2 3 4 3. I was tense..……….………..1 2 3 4 4. I felt strained..……….………..1 2 3 4 5. I felt at ease……….………..1 2 3 4 6. I felt upset..……….………..1 2 3 4 7. I worried over possible misfortune..……….……..……..1 2 3 4 8. I felt satisfied....……….……….………..1 2 3 4 9. I felt frightened..……….………..1 2 3 4 10. I felt comfortable..…...………….………..1 2 3 4 11. I felt self-confident..……….…….………..1 2 3 4 12. I felt nervous....……….………..1 2 3 4 13. I was jittery.……….……….………..1 2 3 4 14. I felt indecisive..……….………..………..1 2 3 4 15. I was relaxed..……….………....1 2 3 4 16. I felt content..……….………...1 2 3 4 17. I was worried..……….………..……..1 2 3 4 18. I felt confused………..……….………..1 2 3 4 19. I felt steady..……….………..1 2 3 4 20. I felt pleasant...……….………..1 2 3 4

Beginning Your Public Speech (Confrontation)

A number of statements which people have used to describe themselves are given below. Read each statement and then circle the appropriate value to the left of each statement to indicate how you felt at the beginning (or first minute) of your public speech. There are no right or wrong answers. Do not spend too much time on any one statement but give the answer that seems to describe your feelings best. (1=Not at all;

2=Somewhat; 3=Moderately so; 4=Very much so).

Immediately After Your Public Speech (Release)

A number of statements which people have used to describe themselves are given below. Read each statement and then circle the appropriate value to the left of each statement to indicate how you felt the minute after your public speech. There are no right or wrong answers. Do not spend too much time on any one statement but give the answer that seems to describe your feelings best. (1=Not at all; 2=Somewhat;

3=Moderately so; 4=Very much so).

Appendix F

The A-State Scale Narrow-banded for the Three Stages (Chinese Version)

(Adapted from Lewis et al., 2007) 各位同學你好：

英語演講開始後一分鐘

作答說明：以下是一些描述自己感受的語句。作答時，請先看各題的語句後，根據你剛才英語演講開始後一分鐘的感受填答，並在右方適當的答案處，將圈圈塗黑。答案並沒有對錯之別，只要直覺地說明你當時的感受即可，不必在每一題上花太多時間。

完有頗非全一沒點為常有 1. 我覺得冷靜。………○¹ ○² ○³ ○⁴ 2. 我覺得安心。………○¹ ○² ○³ ○⁴ 3. 我覺得四肢僵硬。………○¹ ○² ○³ ○⁴ 4. 我覺得全身緊繃到不能動彈。………○¹ ○² ○³ ○⁴ 5. 我覺得輕鬆自在。………○¹ ○² ○³ ○⁴ 6. 我覺得很沮喪。………○¹ ○² ○³ ○⁴ 7. 我擔心可能發生的失誤。………○¹ ○² ○³ ○⁴ 8. 我覺得滿意。………○¹ ○² ○³ ○⁴ 9. 我覺得恐慌。………○¹ ○² ○³ ○⁴ 10. 我覺得舒適。………. ○¹ ○² ○³ ○⁴ 11. 我覺得有自信。………..○¹ ○² ○³ ○⁴ 12. 我覺得緊張。………..○¹ ○² ○³ ○⁴ 13. 我覺得煩躁不安。………..○¹ ○² ○³ ○⁴ 14. 我覺得猶豫不決。………..○¹ ○² ○³ ○⁴ 15. 我覺得輕鬆。………..○¹ ○² ○³ ○⁴ 16. 我覺得滿足。………..○¹ ○² ○³ ○⁴ 17. 我覺得擔憂。………...○¹ ○² ○³ ○⁴ 18. 我覺得困惑。..……….………○¹ ○² ○³ ○⁴ 19. 我覺得安穩。……….………..○¹ ○² ○³ ○⁴ 20. 我覺得愉快。……….………..○¹ ○² ○³ ○⁴

英語演講結束後一分鐘

作答說明：以下是一些描述自己感受的語句。作答時，請先看各題的語句後，根據你剛才英語演講結束後一分鐘的感受填答，並在右方適當的答案處，將圈圈塗黑。答案並沒有對錯之別，只要直覺地說明你當時的感受即可，不必在每一題上花太多時間。

在文檔中預期特質焦慮與性別差異對英語公開演說情境焦慮所造成的作用—以台灣一所國中為例 (頁 57-85)