A Three-Step Intervention In Reducing Public Speaking Anxiety (PSA) Levels In Selected High School Students

Three-Step Intervention (Cabigas & Magbuhat, 2016) 1
Three-Step Intervention in Reducing Public Speaking Anxiety Level in Selected Junior High
School Students
An Action Research
Presented to the
Department of English and Applied Linguistics (DEAL)
Br. Andrew Gonzalez College of Education
De La Salle University – Manila
In Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for
THS2EAL
3rd
trimester, SY 2015-2016
Submitted by:
CABIGAS, Lance Vincent M.
MAGBUHAT, Joseph Reinier G.
August 2016

1. Introduction
1.1. Problem Statement
Nikitina (2011) defined public speaking as the process, art, and act of making or
performing a speech in front of an audience. However, she firmly posits that public speaking is
not about conversing with others at a party, telling an anecdote, or delivering a paper among others.
Thus in the classroom, a public speaking activity is one that involves giving a speech or talk in the
presence of an audience, whether to inform, persuade, or even to entertain. According to Jaffe
(2006) public speaking consists of four modes of delivery, namely Impromptu, Manuscript
Reading, Memorized Speech and Extemporaneous. Impromptu speeches are presentations without
prior preparation, limited or no time at all is given to the speaker to deliver the speech in a
spontaneous manner, organization of ideas is a key factor in this speech. Manuscript reading are
written speech being read in front of the audience, normally long ones as Jaffe (2006) discusses.
However this speech sound more of reading than speaking, but this speech aids in appropriate
choice of words especially speeches concerning issues. Memorized speech are delivered through
rote memory speeches memorizing word per word basis, however this speech is less engaging
since the speaker become speech centered. Lastly is Extemporaneous, which unlike Impromptu is
a prepared speech, and more engaging, normally written in outline form which is used as a guide,
the speech can adapt based from the response of the audience. However, for this study, the
researchers focused on memorized speeches which were done by the students. A memorized
speech is a speech which is written and then committed to memory—there are no notes and no
other materials aside from visual aids to help the audience understand the speech better
(Weinbrenner, 2011).

Going back to Jaffe’s statements, the different kinds of speeches could be impeded by a
certain factor which can severely affect the ability to communicate effectively with another person
and may lower self-confidence. Basic (2011) claimed that anxiety in speaking impacts a person’s
self-confidence due to expectations of failures and inadequacies. This anxiety further affects a
person’s physiological health because irregular heartbeats, sweating, stumbling upon words, and
the like (effects of anxiety) can disable one from speaking properly (Basic, 2011).
Grewe and Seurer (2013) stated that public speaking anxiety (PSA) is known as one of the
most prevalent problem in the educational setting, but rarely are there effective methods used to
alleviate it. Thus, there is a need to find an effective method to lower the students’ anxiety level,
and if possible, reduce or control the level of anxiety. PSA is completely different when compared
to the other communication apprehension categories such as Fear of Negative Evaluation and Test
Anxiety (TA) (Grewe & Seurer, 2013). According to Bodie (2010), PSA deserves its own category
because it possesses its own unique traits
Hence, public speaking anxiety is deemed as one of the most feared context-based language
apprehensions when it comes to students (Pribyl, Keaten, & Sakamoto, 2001). Allen et al. (1989)
posited three main methods of reducing public speaking anxiety. These methods are Systematic
Desensitization, Cognitive Modification, and Skills Training. All three methods were deemed
effective.
In line with this, Krashen’s (1982) Affective Filter Hypothesis posits that a student’s
language anxiety may arise due to an affective screen which may be raised when the student is
threatened with a certain language activity in a specific or certain context. Hence, if the affective
filter is raised, the student develops an anxiety towards the specified activity. Likewise Krashen’s
Hypothesis supports Richmond and McCroskey’s (1989) ‘Communication Apprehension

Continuum’ wherein multiple factors trigger the anxiety of the speaker resulting to the raise of the
affective filter when different Communication Apprehension (CA) are met.
1.2. Problem Description and Documentation
In order for the researchers to arrive at the problem, they performed a triangulation
composed of an observation guided by the Specific Anxiety Behavior Scale (SABS) rubric, the
Personal Report of Public Speaking Anxiety (PRPSA) questionnaire, and a structured interview
with questions taken from Kogerer’s (2016) set of questions for teachers’ thoughts on Public
Speaking Anxiety.
In this study, the researchers made use of thirty-one (31) Grade 8 students, and thirty-five
(35) Grade 10 students. They are all students of Manila Science High School. The first needs
analysis that the researchers conducted was the Specific Anxiety Behavior Scale (SABS) through
an observation. The researchers patterned their SABS to that of Metzmacher’s (2008) original
usage, and guided their observation by using the set rubrics to evaluate a student whenever they
would come up to perform a public speaking activity. The researchers observed their respective
classes six times, and performed the SABS within two meetings when the students were tasked to
perform the said public speaking activity. However, when the researchers first observed, the
students were continuing their reports. This was the first instance that the researchers noticed the
problem with Public Speaking Anxiety. So, to further validate their assumptions, the researchers
brought along the SABS to the students’ next public speaking activity. The SABS served as a
concrete and empirical data to reveal behaviors that are signs of speaking anxiety, and in order for
the researchers to determine whether the student is anxious, they assigned a single rubric to a single
student who was tasked to perform the activity on that day.

0
5
10
15
Low Anxiety Moderate
Anxiety
High Anxiety
Chart A - Frequency of
Students' Level of PSA
(Grade 10)
Students
0
5
10
15
Anxiety
High Anxiety
Chart B - Frequency of
Students' Level of PSA
(Grade 8)
Students
Using the Specific Anxiety Behavior Scales (SABS), the researcher was able to determine
the following notions about the students’ public speaking anxiety.
Chart A shows that of the 18 students who were observed during their public speaking
activities, 14 of them were shown to have a moderate level of anxiety based on the rubric used.
These students comprise 78% of the sample size. This 78% are the students who have some
difficulty in public speaking, and that, this anxiety can affect their academic standing. However,
they are able to cope and manage through practice and experience. Meanwhile, 4 of the students
are shown to have a high level of public speaking anxiety. This 22% are the students who have
significant difficulty when it comes to speaking, often reported to be those who perform the lowest
when it comes to speaking activities. No students were reported to have low anxiety. In the same
vein, Chart B gives the SABS results of the 15 Grade 8 students who were observed. 13 of them
presented a moderate level of anxiety while 2 had a high level of anxiety. As it is, none of the
students who were observed demonstrated low anxiety. These 13 students comprise 87% of the
observed speakers while the 2 represent the 13% with high anxiety.

0
5
10
15
20
TP AGI FMB FM NV V L TD
Specific Public Speaking Anxiety
Behaviors (Grade 10)
Students
0
5
10
15
20
TP AGI FMB FM NV V L TD
Specific Public Speaking
Anxiety Behaviors (Grade 8)
Students
Chart A Chart B
Chart A shows the specific anxiety behavior that Grade 10 students often show when they
are anxious in public speaking. All the students have problems when it comes non-verbal (NV)
gestures like hand movements, speaker’s triangle, and maintaining eye contact. Next, students are
also problematic when it comes to foot movements (FM) with 15 students who often pace
needlessly about while swaying back and forth. With 14 students are the behaviors of Tense
Posture (TP) and Agitation (AGI). These students are the ones who are rigid when it comes to
their body positions, often with tense shoulders and stiff gestures. Next is the Fumbling (FMB)
where students fiddle and rub their hands together or place them in their pockets. Then, the less
evident ones are the Laughing (L) and Verbal (V). Most likely, the students are able to memorize
their speeches, but when it comes to the actual execution, the students tend to forego with their
unconscious gestures and behaviors. Chart B shows similar results with all the students revealing
a problem with NV, and the least being L and TD. Thus, from the first needs analysis, the
researchers were able to find out that the participants demonstrated visible signs of speaking
anxiety behaviors which can help denote their level of public speaking anxiety.

0
5
10
15
20
25
LA MA HA
Anxiety Level
Breakdown (Grade 10)
Number of Students per PSA Level Category
0
5
10
15
20
25
Anxiety
High Anxiety
Anxiety Level
Breakdown (Grade 8)
The next method the researchers used to validate the problem was the Personal Report of
Public Speaking Anxiety (PRPSA) which was done first by McCroskey (1970). On the fifth
observation, the researchers submitted a sample of the PRPSA to their respective teachers for
review and permission. After they secured the teachers’ consents, the researchers distributed the
surveys to all the students present on that day. From Grade 8, thirty-five (35) students were
surveyed while Grade 8 had forty (31). After the students answered and returned the survey, the
researchers analyzed and tabulated the data.
Chart A Chart B
The charts above gives the number of students who belong to each level of Public Speaking
Anxiety (PSA) based from the survey given. From the results of the Chart A, ten (10) students
have been revealed to have a Low Anxiety (LA) level. It is possible to interpret these as having
ten students who believe that they are confident and do not feel as uncomfortable as their peers
when it comes to public speaking tasks. However, upon looking at the second category, it reveals
twenty (20) students who possess a Moderate Anxiety (MA) level. These twenty students believe

that they are still anxious towards public speaking activities, but they tend make progress through
experience and practice. Finally, five (5) students answered that they had a High Anxiety (HA)
level. Thus, these students are considered as the ones most uncomfortable when it comes to public
speaking anxiety, and sometimes, this fear and discomfort would tend to lower their academic
performance. Chart B also had similar results where twenty-two (22) of the students reported to
belong to the MA category while the next seven (7) reported to have LA. Again, the lowest
frequency was that of HA with only two (2) students who belonged there.
A simpler version can be taken from the tabulated data below.
Grade 8 Grade 10
Frequency(n=31) Percentage Frequency(n=35) Percentage
Low Anxiety 7 23% 10 28%
Moderate Anxiety 22 71% 20 57%
High Anxiety 2 6% 5 14%

0
5
10
15
20
25
30
WTA WA
Summary of Anxiety
Levels (Grade 10)
Total # of Students per general category
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
Without Anxiety With Anxiety
Summary of Anxiety
Levels (Grade 8)
Summary Breakdown of Anxiety Levels
The charts above shows the total number of students who belong to the two general
categories of Without Anxiety (WTA), denoting students who incurred an LA; these are students
who have little discomfort regarding public speaking activities, and With Anxiety (WA) which
pertains to students who incurred either an MA or an HA. In other words, WA students are those
who have difficulty in being comfortable and relaxed during public speaking activities and
preparation. In Grade 10, there are ten (10) students who make up the WTA component. These
ten students reportedly have little to no discomfort regarding the preparation, presentation, and
evaluation of their public speaking activities. However, the WA component is composed of
twenty-five (25) students who have discomfort and difficulty in public speaking. Similarly, the
Grade 8 students reported twenty-four (24) students with public speaking anxiety while seven (7)
revealed otherwise.

A simpler version can be viewed from the table below.
Grade 8 Grade 10
Frequency (n=31) Percentage Frequency (n=35) Percentage
Without Anxiety (WTA) 7 23% 10 28%
With Anxiety (WA) 24 77% 25 71%
Hence, in the Grade 8 sample, 77% of the respondents have difficulty and fear in preparing,
presenting, and evaluating of their public speaking activities. Meanwhile, in the Grade 10 setting,
71% of the respondents report themselves to have difficulty and fear in the preparation,
presentation, and evaluation of the different public speaking activities.
Lastly, the third method used to validate the problem with Public Speaking Anxiety is an
interview with the teachers who were handling the assigned English classes of Grade 8 and 10.
The researchers made use of Kogerer’s (2016) set of questions to conduct a structured interview
with the teachers. Like the previous method, the researchers submitted the set of questions for the
teachers’ review before they interviewed them the day after. Since the teachers declined to have
their interviews audiotaped, the researchers had to make do with taking down notes. Thus, the
following data in Appendix A are not verbatim.
After the interviews were analyzed, the researchers understood that public speaking
anxiety, from the teachers’ perspective, was a common problem in their classrooms. The teachers
defined public speaking anxiety as the inability of a student to express their thoughts and
themselves. One of the teachers determined that the students had good ideas, but they are unable
to support their answers, which denotes a lack of a certain skill. The problem with PSA in the

classes is due to the fact that public speaking activities comprise 50% of the students’ grades,
according to their teachers. Since PSA hinders and even prevents students from speaking, their
grades will inevitably be affected as one teacher stated that those who refuse to speak will
inevitably garner lower scores. In Manila Science, speeches are part of their Performance Tasks
(PeTa) which comprise half of their entire grade in English. Now, in this second quarter, the
students only have one PeTa which is the speech. Thus, if the students garner a low grade in the
PeTa, this will have a great reduction in their English grade. It should be noted that the students
in Manila Science are required to maintain a grade no less than 85% in their core subjects, and one
of the core subjects is English. Thus, a student’s PSA level may hinder their performance in their
PeTA, and as a result, they will have a lower grade in English which may cause them to drop below
85%.
When asked what factors could have caused these students to have PSA, one of the teachers
replied that the students’ fear come from their inability to support their answers, especially when
they are now questioned. Another teacher claimed that a lack of preparation is often the case for
public speaking anxiety. As the teacher termed it, an ‘inadequacy’ and lack of mastery in a topic
can cause a student to falter in confidence which can affect their willingness to speak in front of
others. However, she also mentioned that sometimes it is also the teacher’s responsibility to create
a non-threatening atmosphere that is conducive to learning.
Towards the question of what could be done, the two of them agreed on one main point,
and that is to teach the students appropriate techniques that can help them become more prepared
when it comes to speaking. One suggested more public speaking activities in order to help the
students become used to the idea of speaking in front of others; they must have appropriate oral
interactions with others as well as more opportunities to speak up. Another posited that the key to

solving their PSA is to teach them a structure of speaking like starting with a thesis statement and
giving out supporting details. This will guide them to improving themselves when it comes to
public speaking activities. All in all, with the third needs analysis, the researchers determined that
even the teachers believe that their students also had PSA. The teachers were aware of the
problem, and they had used multiple techniques to alleviate it.
Thus, the needs analysis showed that the students of the Grade 8 and 10 classes had PSA.
The observation revealed the students’ speaking anxiety behaviors that reflect their level of
anxiety. This gave the researchers a solid ground to continue with the triangulation on PSA since
the concrete evidence was shown when the students demonstrated the specific behaviors that
denoted anxiety. The PRPSA recorded the students’ perceptions regarding their own level of
anxiety. With the majority of the respondents belonging to the WA category, the researchers
determined that the results of the SABS were not one-sided even though the SABS were done by
the researchers themselves. In short, with the SABS and PRPSA, both the students and the
researchers reflected the present problem of PSA inside in the classroom. Lastly, the interview
provided the teachers’ perspective. They stated that PSA is a problem in their classroom, and that
this PSA is significant since it can really hamper their grades when the students would refuse to
speak because of their discomfort. The teachers cited that the students’ anxiety stems from a lack
of a set of skills that must be addressed through different techniques and repeated exposure to
public speaking activities. Since the triangulation showed that the present problem in the
classroom is, indeed, PSA, the researchers decided to pursue the topic by attempting to solve the
students’ PSA with a three-step intervention that aims to cater to all concerns raised.
There are a few limitations with regard to this study. The first limitation is that the
researchers only used English classes as part of their intervention. Thus, the students’ level of

PSA might be different when it comes to other language classes such as Filipino, French, and the
other foreign languages that Manila Science offered their students. Furthermore, the time for this
study is very limited as the numerous suspensions and activities made it impossible for the
researchers to extend beyond two weeks of implementation.
1.3. Work Setting
This action research will be implemented in Manila Science High School (MaSci). MaSci
is known as the pilot science school in the Philippines. The school has been modelled after the
Bronx Science High School in the United States of America. In 1963, after the graduation of the
first science class, MaSci was founded due to the efforts of Augusto Alzona, who would later be
known as the Father of Manila Science High School. MaSci also follows a Special Science
Curriculum.
The school offers the different subject areas of Math, English, Science, Filipino, Social
Studies, Physical Education, Health, MAPEH, Mandarin, Nihonggo, and even Spanish classes.
The classes in MaSci are co-ed which means that there are both male and female students.
Additionally, there are Honors’ Sections in the high school which are often denoted by a ‘1’ in
their section. For example, in the Grade 10 level, the honors’ section is denoted by ‘4-1’ while the
non-honors’ class go by ‘4-2’, ‘4-3’, and the like.
In the case of the teachers, they are not the ones who move from one class to another.
Instead, the teachers wait in their respective classrooms for the students to come inside. This
means that the students are the ones who transfer from one classroom to another which is
understandable since their system is patterned after the one in Bronx.

1.4. Writers’ Role
The role of the researchers is to function as student researchers where they are only
supposed to serve as an uninvolved observer in specified classes. They need to gather data which
will support their topic and problem. In this case, the researchers would have to abide with the
rules of the schools with regard to the dissemination of surveys and interviews. Then, the
researchers have to take into account the conditions set by their cooperating teacher, and will abide
by these conditions. After functioning as student researchers, and has successfully defended their
proposal, the researchers will then serve as student teachers in the same school that they were
assigned in. As student teachers, the researchers will implement in their respective classrooms the
intervention that they suggested as student researchers in order to facilitate progress in their
classes.
1.5 Review of Related Literature
Speaking Anxiety is defined as the state of uneasiness and fear when faced with Speaking
Activities performed in the presence of numerous individuals (Tse, 2004; Yahya, 2013).
Mohamad and Wahid (2009) posited that speaking anxiety can be described as a panicky feeling
alongside physical reactions that can impair those who are affected. Some examples of these
physical reactions include an increased heart and breathing pace, a spike in adrenaline, hyper
reactions, and even muscle tensions in specific areas. This goes to show that speaking anxiety can
be observed through physical reactions, and through these signs, a professor or teacher can
determine whether that student is currently under the effects of an affective filter. Givens’ (2002)
work on the compilation of non-verbal gestures support this notion that anxiety can be revealed
through physical signs of stress. For example, scratching or rubbing one’s hands as well as
clenching fists are tell-tale indicators of anxiety. This idea implies that educators and educational

institutes should learn to adapt more methods into alleviating speech anxiety once these signs have
been detected. Mohamad and Wahid (2009) suggested that institutes adapt a more innovative
approach towards anxiety such as relaxation techniques in order to lessen the tension in the
learning environment. They also suggested for the students to do self-expression where they can
write about their emotions and feelings in order to alleviate their apprehension and internal
struggles. Finally, they also suggested support systems such as peers, and even practice and
monitoring to help students out of their anxiety.
On Public Speaking Anxiety
Public Speaking Anxiety (PSA) belongs to one of the aspects of Social Anxiety, and
manifests itself whenever a student would perform a speaking activity that involves speaking in
front of an audience (Smits, 2004). However, one should know that PSA is different from the
other aspects of social anxiety such as shyness or fear of evaluation. According to Bednar (1991),
since PSA is defined as an emotional or affective condition, stemming from the knowledge of a
speech-audience task, which hampers the intellect of a person who is about perform the activity,
it therefore has certain characteristics that are more prevalent in PSA than the other aspects of
Social Anxiety.
In relation to how Public Speaking Anxiety may be caused, there is a need to discuss a few
points from Krashen’s Affective Filter Hypothesis. Based on Krashen’s (1982) Affective Filter
Hypothesis, he posited that a strong affective filter can interfere with the student’s language
learning, and that, this affective filter possibly impacts the anxiety, self-esteem, and motivation in
students. Thus, Krashen’s theory posits that in order for a student to effectively improve his
language skills, this affective filter must be low or, if possible, down. Thus, from Krashen, the
following ideas can be taken:

1. The student needs to be open to the input. This happens when the student is not
mentally blocked, due to fear or other emotions, and is ready to receive the input from
an authoritative figure. Krashen says that if the student is not open to the input, he/she
will understand the input, but will not understand it entirely.
2. The affective filter must be low or down. This happens when the student is not
concerned with grades or failing even if he performs badly with the language skill, and
when he considers himself a member of the skill group.
The diagram above shows the process of a student’s learning when it comes to language
activities. In a normal case, there is a lowered affective filter for the student. Thus, with a lowered
filter, the student experiences little to no anxiety towards certain language activities. With the
presence of the Affective Filter (AF), there is this barrier which causes fear in the students due to
a perceived failure or rejection. This filter is what causes anxiety in the students within general
contexts.
Thus, the goal of the teacher is to remove this affective filter to allow the student to be less
afraid when it comes to language activities. Hence, through specific interventions and techniques,

a teacher can create this low-affective screen environment where the students are unafraid and
confident.
The researchers used this model to help understand how anxiety occurs in students. Since
anxiety is an abstract concept, it is somewhat hard to visualize. Thus, in this study, the researchers
believe that PSA occurs when an affective filter is raised in the students, thereby, making them
more afraid and hesitant to partake in certain language activities. In this case, the students are
afraid to do a public speaking activity.
The Need for Effective PSA Treatments
Allen, Hunter, and Donohue (1989) posited that even though a lot of researchers have
suggested multiple ways to treat PSA, the problem arises when researchers would only use
technique without regard for the other methods. In their study, Allen et al (1989) delved into the
different treatments that were proven effective when it comes to reducing PSA in students. Grewe
and Seurer (2013) suggested that PSA be taken seriously because this anxiety can have short and
long term harmful effects on students. For example, students with PSA who are not treated may
begin to avoid communicative behavior in the future, and this can harm their academic
performance, especially, if there are oral exams. However, it should be noted that PSA is not
something to be cured, but something to help students manage or cope with (Grewe & Seurer,
2013). As stated by Richmonde and McCroskey (1989), PSA is a persistent condition and will
continue to exist alongside the speaker. Thus, what teachers can do is to help students control their
anxiety and, to an extent, help them cope with it through public speaking activities. Finally, Grewe
and Seurer (2013) claimed that since PSA can manifest itself in physiological as well as cognitive
and behavioral aspects, it can also be treated in the same way by also targeting the cognitive,
psychomotor, and behavioral capabilities of a child.

Burden (2004) conducted a study that shows teachers, while being the facilitator, are also
the ones responsible with the reduction of the anxiety level inside the classroom in language
learning. In addition, language teachers are basically concerned since anxiety may function as an
affective filter, which hinders them to achieve a high level of proficiency. The study used an
anxiety scale to measure the degree of anxiety of students. The participants of the study are
Japanese students; questionnaires were translated to Japanese, and were given to 289 freshmen
students in a conversation English class during the second semester in a private university in
Western Japan. The questionnaire has three constructs with eleven questions each; this includes
speaking anxiety, foreign language classroom anxiety, and classroom non-anxiety. The first
construct showed a 59.1% response from students saying they do not feel sure of themselves when
they speak English, the second construct showed a 52.6% response saying the feel frightened when
they do not understand what the teacher is saying in English, and the last construct 58.9% feel they
would be nervous speaking English with native speakers of the language. These were the
prominent answers that surfaced after the evaluation of the questionnaire. The study found out the
importance of teacher intervention and the removal of comparison of performances especially in a
competitive environment, in line with this it can reduce negativity, raise self-belief and alleviate
anxiety caused by expectations of failure. Thus, the study of Burden (2004) shows that an affective
filter can indeed be raised if a student would a) be lacking the necessary skills or b) if they interact
with a specified group of people who make them uncomfortable. This further supports the validity
of the CAC which states that PSA is not easily addressed with just one method.
While there is evidence that the affective filter can be lowered through skills training, there
is also evidence that the affective filter can also be resolved with the use of affirmation, feedback,
and other affective measures which can help the students relax. Tsui (1996) shows the getting oral

responses from students are one of the major problems inside the classroom in learning a second
language. Passive involvement and response may be caused by shyness and unwillingness to speak
the English language. Compared to the current study that we have this study focuses on students
reticence as the cause of anxiety inside the classroom. In relation to the findings of the previous
studies it has also delved on inactive participation and shyness especially with the presence of
evaluation and other factors such as affective related ones. This study is an action research project
with thirty-eight ESL teachers, with English as the medium of instruction inside the classroom.
The teachers videotaped or audio-recorded their wown lessons and from there they analyzed it to
identify the problems and be able to list down possible to solutions. A diary was kept for tracking
and also to report the daily activities inside the classroom. Low English proficiency is attributed
to the reticence of students inside the classroom. These are based from the observation and
gathered data from recorded materials. Students are reported to have fear of making mistakes and
being negatively evaluated. Therefore the teachers tried to give affirmation and constructive
criticism in response to the identified problem. A low-anxiety classroom is the target classroom
environment of a teacher, that they are comfortable and free of fear.
Thus, when it comes to catering to these aspects of PSA, Allen et al (1989) cited three main
methods in reducing PSA in students. These methods are known as Systematic Desensitization
(SD), Cognitive Restructuring (CR), and Skills Training (ST).
Systematic Desensitization
Known as one of the most productive behavioral treatments for speech anxiety
(McCroskey, Ralph, & Barrick, 1989), Systematic Desensitization (SD) is known as the process
of changing an associated fearful response to a certain activity into a more pleasant experience
through continued exposure (Allen et al, 1989). The easiest example would be relaxation

techniques. For instance, a teacher, before starting the students’ public speaking activity, would
instruct them to listen to their favorite music first. The music is used as a relaxation method, and
this can calm the students and reduce their fear just before they start speaking. Hence, with
repeated practice, the students would begin to feel relaxed instead of afraid whenever they are
tasked to perform a public speaking activity. Barker (1970) assured researchers that SD can be
performed even by non-professionals. Furthermore, SD has a reputation to not only be an easy to
use method which can be employed with groups of individuals, but its effects are also long-lasting
as well as applicable to other forms of anxiety (Barker, 1970).
In Allen et al’s (1989) study, they employed the use of Systematic Desensitization as a
means to reduce the students’ level of speech anxiety. For their study to work, the researchers got
twenty-four (24) volunteers, and subjected them to three and one-half weeks of treatment sessions
for an hour. The treatment session consisted of audio tapes that would give out muscle relaxation
instructions to the volunteers before their presentation. After the treatments, the volunteers
reportedly had reduced level of speaking anxiety after answering the post self-report. Thus, the
study found out that SD can indeed reduce student level of speaking anxiety. In another study,
Aslani, Miratashi, and Aslani (2013) conducted a variation of SD by focusing on the physiological
aspect of it. The variation of their SD focused on the eye movement to improve the students’ eye
contact skill. In their study, they also performed a pretest and posttest to measure their results. At
the end, the students reported a lesser level of speaking anxiety after the modified SD was
conducted. Thus, Aslani et al’s (2013) study posited that SD can be combined with physiological
aspects to better cater to the students’ needs.

Cognitive Restructuring
Cognitive Restructuring (CR) is the focus on the speaker’s beliefs regarding his or her
capability to perform a public speaking activity (Allen at al, 1989). The main goal of CR is to turn
any negative or problematic belief the speaker has for himself or towards the activity, and turn it
into something positive to help alleviate the anxiety (Schmidt, 2015). The most common usage of
CR is by employing a checklist of beliefs or a negative-self talk checklist. Then, the student will
look at the negative beliefs, and create a positive version of it every time there is a public speaking
activity. For example, a student may write in the negative part ‘I will stutter when speaking’, and
write the opposite of it in the positive part like ‘I will speak fluidly because I practiced’. This kind
of technique replaces an irrational (negative) belief with the rational (positive) one to condition
the student’s mind into lessening their anxiety.
In a study done Chambless, Tran, and Juster (as cited in Morris, Mensink, & Stewart, n.d),
students who had a frequent negative perception on their abilities had lesser results than those with
the positive ones. This supports the notion that in order for a person to lessen their own level of
PSA, it is important for them not only to feel ‘relaxed’, but also modify their own belief and
confidence in their capacity to perform the task. Thus, mere behavioral restructuring might not be
effective enough when it comes to a wide array of students. There is also a need to go beyond
behavior, and touch also the cognitive aspect of the student.
Skills Training
When it comes to Skills Training (ST), there is an assumption that the students lack a
certain skill or ability that will be important in properly executing a speaking activity, and that,
presence of this skill deficit raises the affective filter (Allen et al, 1989). Thus, there is a need to

learn certain skills that will allow the speaker to become more competent in his or her ability to
perform. This is somewhat interrelated with Cognitive Restructuring, because if a student is to
readily believe the positive statements, he or she must have something to back the belief up. For
example, if the student wrote ‘I will talk fluidly because I practiced’, but he or she did not practice,
then, it will be hard for the student to believe that notion because he or she knows that there was
no practice that happened. Hence, in order for CR to be more effective, ST is also needed. Here,
practice speeches and feedbacks are often the most common methods to do. But, in some cases,
there are certain prerequisite skills that a student must learn to have an effective public speaking
activity.
Gronbeck, McKerrow, Ehninger, and Monroe (1994) suggested the following skills that
will help students become more effective public speakers. These are a) Integrity, b) Knowledge,
c) Rhetorical Sensitivity, and d) Oral Skills. Integrity refers to the reliability and truthfulness of
the speaker. This skill can manifest itself through proper citation and research skills. Thus, there
is a need to teach students even the basic concept of how to search for information in order for
them to practice integrity in making their speeches. Knowledge, similar to Integrity, focuses on
the speaker’s preparedness regarding the topic that he or she will talk about. This tackles more on
equipping oneself with the proper knowledge to support the claims and information that he or she
would talk about. Thus, Knowledge entails teaching students how to properly support and defend
their answers. Rhetorical Sensitivity pertains to adapting one’s speech to suit a context, and this
is one of the most important skills to learn. This is where a student needs to learn how to structure
their speech that will meet the standards of the task. They must know how to structure their speech
so that they will fulfill the purpose that was assigned to them. Lastly, Oral Skills denote the voice
control, the poise, and the non-verbal gestures that will increase their confidence when speaking.

These are developed overtime through practice, and is still an integral skill to learn when one wants
to become an effective speaker. For the benefit of this study, these four skills will be known as
IKRO.
Pribyl, Keaten, and Sakamoto (2001) performed a skills-based training in order to alleviate
the PSA in their students. They gathered one-hundred and eleven (111) students as their sample.
The experimental group of twenty-five (25) students were the ones who underwent the skills
training wherein they were instructed in the proper way to prepare, practice, and deliver a speech.
The researchers used a PRPSA to have a basis for their results. In the end, the students who were
taught the necessary skills had a significant drop in their anxiety level in the PRPSA as compared
to those who were not trained. Thus, their study can serve as a proof that Skills Training is indeed
effective when it comes to alleviating anxiety. It is possible to assume that since the student knew
that he was equipped with the necessary skills, the affective filter must have been lowered.
With the three techniques discussed, the important details to take into account is that all
three methods are capable of standing alone in solving PSA, however, they all have their respective
weaknesses. Additionally, there is also the problem with matching the student factor of anxiety
with that of the intervention. The study related for this issue is in the research conducted by Hurd
and Xiao (2010). They made use of a sample of Chinese learners who, based on their needs
analysis, demonstrated difficulty in applying basic grammar which increased their anxiety levels.
The researchers made use of questionnaires, interviews, and think-aloud protocols that catered
more on affective control. As they went on with the research, they found out that the concept of
affective strategies to combat their anxiety had little to no impact on lessening student anxiety.
Thus, this came about due to the non-parallel framework that the researchers made. Note that their
needs analysis showed that the students were more on the cognitive side (grammar application)

but they still intervened using affective strategies. Hurd and Xiao’s study is also limited in terms
of their materials since they made use of researcher-created questionnaires instead of standardized
and more reliable materials. This study supports the researchers’ point that there must be a
parallelism between the factor causing the anxiety and the strategy used to lessen the level of
student anxiety. Hence, in order to avoid this problem, the three techniques of SD, CR, and ST
must be combined into one process that will cater to all factors and cover the weaknesses of each
technique.
1.6. Theoretical Framework
In order to understand this difference and the very nature of PSA, Richmond and
McCroskey (1989) provided a ‘Communication Apprehension Continuum’ that detailed the
different characteristics of the various types of the anxiety.
The Communication Apprehension Continuum
In the Communication Apprehension Continuum (CAC), Richmond and McCroskey
(1989) posits that when it comes communication apprehension (CA), there are multiple factors
that may trigger said anxiety which range from the speaker himself to even the audience involved.
In this case, it is possible to assume that a person’s affective filter can be raised when any of those
CA categories are met.

The first category of the CAC is the Trait-like CA, and this pertains to the general fear of
a person towards speaking regardless of the speaking task (Richmond & McCroskey, 1989).
Bednar (1991) further interprets Trait-like CA as the fear of speaking regardless of any person or
any situation. To an extent, Trait-like CA stems from the speaker’s personality and is relatively
persistent (McCroskey, 1984). This is where ‘shyness’ is often found and categorized. An
example of this would be a person who is not only afraid to speak in front, but also uncomfortable
when it comes to speaking with his friends, or with other people.
The second category included in the CAC is the Context-Based CA, and this describes that
feeling of fear which only arrives when a certain context is met, but that same fear is almost non-
existent when faced with another context (Bednar, 1991). A great example for this would be a
person who has no trouble expressing his thoughts to a small group, or to his friends, but when it
comes to speaking in front of a large audience, that same person is unable to speak properly.
Similar contexts such as job interviews or meeting new people can instigate similar fears due to
the presence of a Context-based CA. For this study, Context-based CA is the most prevalent
among the students as evidenced from their results of their PRPSA and the teachers’ observations
of their performance. In this case, one can assume that Context-based CA is one of the most
common occurrences in the classroom setting.
The third in the CAC is the Audience-based CA. This category talks about the feeling of
fear towards speaking when presented with a specific type of audience (Bednar, 1991). While
often misinterpreted as Trait-based, this kind of CA arises not really from the context nor the
individual, but from the audience themselves. This means that a person may be comfortable
speaking in front of others when the audience are just his classmates, but he falters in the same
activity when his listeners are his professors or other older individuals.

The last in the CAC is the Situational CA is the fear of speaking which is induced
depending on a specific situation or topic which arises from another person (Bednar, 1991). In
this case, Situational CA is seen when, for example, a student feels no fear when talking to a
professor about non-academic topics, but when the conversation turns to the academic issues, then,
the student feels afraid. Situational CA can be considered as one of the lowest forms of CA which
is opposite to that of Trait-based CA which is the highest manifestation of CA. Hence, the two are
the extreme opposites within the CAC.
Thus, the relationship between CAC and PSA is more causal than anything (Del Vilar,
2010). If any of the conditions are met in the CAC, thus fueling a student’s anxiety towards
speaking, a PSA is developed in the student.
In the Philippine setting, Del Vilar (2010) identified the similar factors that the CAC also
gives out. In her study, she made use of about 250 students where she conducted two
questionnaires mainly an open-ended one regarding their experience with speaking anxiety as well
as the State Trait Anxiety questionnaire. After the students have answered the questionnaire, Del
Vilar analyzed the answers and came up with multiple factors that would cause a student to have
speaking anxiety. One of the factors involved the lack of training and skills, and that, this lack of
training could cause a student to be anxious when speaking in front. Audience is also another
factor, and this claims that students are more anxious towards a specific group of people as
compared to other groups. Another that demonstrates a trait-like anxiety is the factor of self-
valuation which involves the student’s view of himself as well as Preparation which pertains to
the student’s distress due to the lack of it. The more common factors that were found out by Del
Vilar were the Expectations, Rejection, Verbal Fluency, Preparation, and Previous Unpleasant
Experience. Expectations as a factor in the Philippine context pertains to a students’ fear when

faced with a heightened expectation after a much better speaker performs ahead of them. The
student begins to fear of not being able to do better than the predecessor. Rejection mostly pertains
to the idea of how their performance may be treated negatively by the audience or by the
evaluators. They fear that they may not be good enough that their audience would laugh or would
refuse to listen to them. Verbal Fluency is used to denote the fear of public speaking when it
comes to expressing their thoughts into the words they need. This mostly is related to skills, but
it also includes the student’s ability to piece his thoughts together to make a cohesive speech.
Preparation is, of course, based on whether the student feels that he or she was able to prepare
sufficiently for the activity, and, lastly, the Previous Unpleasant Experience is more rooted on a
fear of going through a humiliating experience that stemmed from their public speaking activities
in the past. These memories can affect a speaker’s intellectual capacity, disallowing them from
being able to perform properly. Hence, PSA should not just be looked at as being ‘shy’ or being
‘unprepared’. Rather, PSA stems from multiple factors that arise depending on the category of
apprehension which the students belong in. From the continuum presented, there are three major
issues that can raise the affective filter of a student which can cause PSA. These three issues are
the students’ traits (shyness, unpreparedness, etc.), the context of the activity, and the situation
involved in the activity. Thus, for one to be able to reduce the students’ public speaking anxiety,
the methods must not only target one factor or aspect, but must be able to cater to the different
perspectives in order for the treatment to be more effective for the group.
Going back to Krashen’s Affective Filter Hypothesis, he posited that an affective filter can
hamper a student’s language skills, and that this affective filter can be raised due to multiple
factors. The researchers of this study were inspired by the CAC and the AF, wherein, they believe
that due to these multiple factors that stem from the CAC, an affective filter in the student’s public

-The
students
listen to their
favorite
music before
the speech.
Systematic
Desensitization
-Short-
response
type journals
where the
students
write their
fears about
the activity
Cognitive
Reconstruction
-Pre-speech
preparations
-Hand
Gestures,
hand
movements,
eye contact
-Writing a
thesis
statement
Skills Training
speaking abilities are raised. In other words, due to either the context, trait, or situation, an
affective filter is raised which caused the students’ PSA to be developed.
1.7. Conceptual Framework
For this study, the researchers will be using the Communication Apprehension Continuum
and a portion of the Affective Filter Hypothesis in the process of developing an intervention to
alleviate the students’ PSA. The CAC states that there are certain factors that trigger a person’s
anxiety towards speaking. And, basing it off from Krashen’s Affective Filter Hypothesis,
therefore, these trait, context, and situational factors are the ones responsiblt for raising the
affective filter of a child. Once raised, the affective filter causes PSA to be developed in the
student. In short, if a student has a public speaking anxiety that stems from a context-based factor,
the child’s affective filter is raised when faced with that context. Once the student’s affective filter
is raised, PSA is developed. Therefore, the goal of the teacher is to lower this affective filter by
using the Three-Step Intervention that will target the different factors of PSA based from the CAC.
Once the affective filter is lowered, the students would have a reduced level of PSA.
Raised Affective Filter
due to trait, context,
and situational
factors of PSA
Lowered Affective
Filter

-Before the
start of every
public speaking
activity, there
will be an
alloted time for
relaxation
techniques
(deep
breathing,
listening to
music, etc.)
Systematic
Desensitization
-The checklist
will be done
through a
journal that
the students
will write and
submit before
an assigned
public speaking
activity.
-Feedback wil
be given after
the activity.
Cognitive
Reconstruction
-Develop
students'
mastery of the
IKRO skills.
-Will be
developed
through
lectures,
practice, and
activities.
Skills Training
In order to fulfill this framework, first, a needs analysis must be performed. A needs
analysis is needed in order to ascertain whether the affective filter is raised on a specific group of
students. After the needs analysis has been performed, and, indeed, there is a raised affective filter,
then, the teacher must plan the use of the Three-Step Intervention in his or her lesson plans in order
to lower the affective filter. Afterwards, there needs to be a post-assessment which can confidently
give a conclusion as to whether the affective filter was lowered or remained raised. In order for
the researchers to know whether the affective filter has been lowered, the students must have
shown from the post assessments that there PSA levels have dropped or lowered.
The Present Study
The Three-Step Intervention
Again, the techniques discussed had their own weaknesses that could hinder the
effectiveness of said method. And, of course, there are multiple factors of PSA that might not be
addressable by just one technique. Thus, in order to maximize the effectiveness of the intervention,
there is a need to combine the three. Allen et al (1989) suggested that a combination of SD, CR,
and ST may be more effective than just the application of one.

1.8. Purpose
The purpose of this action research is to alleviate and lessen the anxiety that the Grade 8
and 10 students have towards Public Speaking. According to the needs analysis that the
researchers have conducted, a great majority of the students have a significant level of public
speaking anxiety not only from their self-report but from the report of both the researchers and the
teachers as well. From the observations, the students were visible afraid and hesitant to speak,
often displaying the physiological signs of anxiety. The teachers stated that, perhaps, their public
speaking anxiety stems from a trait-like source wherein they not only lack the necessary skills for
public speaking, but they are also afraid of being questioned by not only their teachers but their
peers as well. Thus, if the students’ PSA stems not only from their traits, but even with the context
and situation, the researchers decided to address this using a combination of the three methods of
Skills Training, Cognitive Reconstruction, and Systematic Desensitization in order to lower this
affective screen that may have been raised due to the different factors the teachers and students
have noticed.
The first and foremost factor that the teachers gave out was the lack of some skills that the
students need for an effective public speaking activity. They cited instances of being unable to
support their statements, or just being unprepared. These evidences of a trait-based apprehension
that must be addressed using a Skills-based training as well. Thus, the intervention will be centered
on providing training for the skills that the students need such as finding supporting details,
citations, and even determining logical fallacies. Allen et al (1989) stated that anxiety may stem
from the lack of certain prerequisite skills. Hence, it is possible to assume that one of the reasons
why the students have high levels of PSA would be because of this lack of certain skills that the

teachers also noticed. Thus, Skills Training will be helpful in aiding the student to be more
prepared and confident in public speaking activities.
However, the teachers also cited another case which is fear and shyness. While most would
say that their fear and shyness could stem from them being unprepared, the teachers posited that
some of them have ‘good content’, but they are bad in delivery. This means that the students are
prepared with the facts and data, but there is still this fear of talking in front which could stem
from a context-based apprehension. It would be impractical to just focus on Skills Training when
the students are also suffering from feelings of fear which ST cannot address. This fear was said
to originate from the students’ belief that they were shy or that they would fail (which one of the
teachers stated could be more on teacher factor). Allen et al (1989) also states that Cognitive
Reconstruction is used to correct irrational and negative beliefs into something more positive in
order to lessen the anxiety. Hence, there is a need for Cognitive Reconstruction because this will
address the fear that the student feels based on the context, not from the trait.
Lastly, from the researchers’ observations, it was evident that the students always began to
panic whenever a public speaking activity would be announced. When it came to the moment
before they are tasked to do a speech, a lot of them fiddle and become restless which are
physiological signs of anxiety. Thus, whenever the students are exposed to the source of anxiety
which is Public Speaking, they begin to panic because they associate their fears with that activity.
Allen et al (1989) posited that when it comes to Systematic Desensitization, it is not about curing
the anxiety, but helping them cope with it. That is why Systematic Desensitization is done by
exposing the person to the source of anxiety with aid from relaxation techniques in hopes that with
repeated exposure and relaxation, the person begins to associate feelings of relaxation towards
public speaking instead of feelings of anxiety.

In order for the researchers to be guided in their implementation, they formulated the
different questions below:
1. Is there a significant difference between the students’ pre and post Specific Anxiety
Behavior Scale (SABS) scores?
2. Is there a significant difference between the students’ pre and post Personal Report of
Speaking Anxiety (PRPSA) results?
3. Were the students’ level of PSA reduced after the intervention?
2.0. Methodology
2.1. Goals and Expectations
From the needs analysis conducted by the researchers, they determined that the students
had significant level of PSA due to the lack of certain skills such as the ones covered in IKRO as
well as a fear of being questioned by their peers and teachers. Hence, in order to address this
anxiety which stems from not only affective but also cognitive and behavioral aspects, there is a
need to conduct an intervention which can cater to these difference facets at one point. Thus, the
goal of the Three-Step Intervention is lessen the students’ report of PSA levels as well as have a
reduction in the rating that they garnered from the SABS.
The researchers expect that the students’ PRPSA levels will not only be lessened, but will
also be changed to a lesser category. Specifically, those in the HA levels will, at least, be
categorized in the MA, and those in the MA category will also be lessened to the LA section. This
is similar expectation with Tse’s (2004) study wherein 165 HA and MA students, after his
intervention, dropped to 122. However, his results only took into account this 26% whose PSA

-Before the
start of every
public speaking
activity, there
will be an
alloted time for
relaxation
techniques,
specifically,
listening to
music.
Systematic
Desensitization
-The checklist
will be done
through a
journal that
the students
will write and
submit before
an assigned
public speaking
activity.
-Feedback wil
be given after
the activity.
Cognitive
Reconstruction
-Develop
students'
mastery in
writing skills.
-Will be
developed
through
lectures,
practice, and
activities.
Skills Training
levels were reduced. Thus, the researchers of this study aim to have at least 50% reduction in PSA
level. This expectation goes for both the PRPSA levels and the SABS levels.
2.2. Solution Strategy
In implementing the study, it is important to be guided by the chart below:
The intervention operated in three procedures which should be performed in order. So, it
is unadvisable for a teacher to start with CR instead of ST because this might interfere with the
intended output from the student. For example, if one were to start with CR instead of ST, the
student might have a harder time believing the positive statement ‘I will be able to speak better
because I have effective non-verbal gestures’ if they were not trained in the necessary skills to
have effective non-verbal gestures. Another reason for this sequence is based on the needs analysis
of the researchers wherein the main problem identified by the teachers is how the students lack the
necessary skills to have an effective public speaking activity. Thus, if this is the main problem

picked out by the teachers, it is only logical to also address it first before going over to the other
domains. The three interventions will be an integral part of the lesson plans that will be used in
the class.
In this case, the implementation will be guided by the schedule below:
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
Week 6 Skills Training Skills Training Skills Training Skills Training Cognitive
Reconstruction
Week 7 Cognitive
Reconstruction
&
Systematic
Desensitization
Cognitive
Reconstruction
&
Systematic
Desensitization
Cognitive
Reconstruction
&
Systematic
Desensitization
Cognitive
Reconstruction
&
Systematic
Desensitization
Cognitive
Reconstruction
&
Systematic
Desensitization
All in all, there were two weeks’ worth of implementation for weeks 6 until 7. For Week
6, the Skills Training focused on helping the students how to write and rewrite sentences which
violated certain grammatical rules in preparation for the writing of their speeches which would be
done in class. The skills training was integrated with the different rules to avoid in grammar such
as dangling modifiers, placements, and essential/non-essential modifiers. There was a practice
exercise which involved writing and rewriting at the end of every sessions to assure the researchers
that the students were able to write and rewrite effectively. At the last day of Skills Training, the
students began to write their Cognitive Reconstruction Checklist which they submitted the week
before their Public Speaking Activity. The cognitive reconstruction asked the question: ‘What do
you fear doing during your public speaking activity? How can you turn that fear into positive?’

The researchers gave the journal as an assignment which they will submit on the day of their public
speaking activity.
During their first Public Speaking Activity on Week 7, the students will submit their first
checklists to the teacher as well as be submitted to Systematic Desensitization through listening to
their favorite music before they perform their task. At the start of the session, the student teachers
asked for the students’ cognitive reconstruction journals which they promptly submitted. Then,
after everyone submitted, the teachers asked all the students to listen to their music for five to ten
minutes. In the meantime, the teachers roamed around to make sure that the students were really
listening to music, and not just browsing through their phones. After the listening activity, the
students were asked to put away their gadgets, and to prepare now for the public speaking activity.
The teacher then used a set list to call on the order of the students who would do the speech.
It should be noted that the SABS was used consistently during the speech, but the
researchers made sure to use the SABS on the same individuals (names are withheld to protect
confidentiality) who were originally part of the pre-SABS. After everyone had performed their
speeches, the researchers distributed the PRPSA for the students to answer. This time, the
researchers also made sure to distribute the numbered questionnaires to the same students who
answered in the original PRPSA distribution.
One thing to note is that according to the cooperating teachers, they have already started
with one of the researchers’ planned skills training which is the non-verbal gestures, and the thesis
+ stand+ support method. Prior to the researchers arriving in Manila Science, the teachers already
required the students to perform multiple public speaking activities (storytelling, oratorical, and
the like). Thus, they have already implanted certain skills in the students such as effective hand
gestures, body movement, and eye contact. As such, the researchers focused on the students’

writing abilities since the cooperating teachers suggested to help the students out with the writing
of their speeches. This is due to the transition of the students from using someone else’s work
(oratorical and storytelling) to writing and speaking their own pieces.
2.3. Expected Outcomes
The researchers aimed to achieve the following results after implementing the Three-Step
Intervention in the class:
a. The majority of the students will have a lower level of Public Speaking Anxiety as in the
post-PRPSA as compared to the pre-PRPSA.
b. The majority of the students will have a lower level of Public Speaking Anxiety in the
post-SABS as compared to the pre-SABS.
c. The students will display reduced signs of public speaking anxiety as the intervention
is implemented.
2.4. Measurement Outcomes
Specific Anxiety Behaviors Scale (SABS). Designed, and tested by Metzmacher
(2008), this instrument makes use of a tabulated form of observable, specific behaviors which
denote the presence of speaking anxiety in students. The researchers used this scale to assess the
students’ speaking performances. The score per item is only limited to either 0, which means that
the student never exhibited the behavior at an interval, or 1, denoting that the student displayed
that specific anxiety behavior at any of the intervals. This tool is separated into three categories
with unique concepts presented in each grouping. The first category is Physical which
encompasses all physical displays of anxiety such as a tense or rigid posture, agitation, fumbling,

and unnecessary feet movement like tapping or swaying. The next category is Social, tackling all
anxiety behaviors which involve other people such as trying to initiate non-verbal contact, trying
to initiate verbal contact, looking at the experimenter, and unnecessary laughter. The last category
is known as Others, and it includes the abrupt discontinuation of the speech itself. The entire scale
has 8 items, and will be given a set interval to determine the level of anxiety. All the students’
scores will be averaged, and then, the average will be categorized according to a scale that will
allow an interpretation of the anxiety level:
Average Interpretation
0.0 – 2.0 Low Anxiety
3.0 – 5.0 Medium Anxiety
6.0 – 8.0 High Anxiety
This will serve as the pre-SABS level of the students which will be compared with the post-
SABS score after the implementation.
Personal Report of Speaking Anxiety (PRPSA). Designed and validated by McCroskey
(1970), this standardized questionnaire aims to measure the participant’s speaking anxiety level
via 34 questions with different measurements. In order to obtain the anxiety level, one needs to
add the scores for two different categories: positive and negative statements.
For the positive statements (PS), it is obtained by adding numbers 1 – 3, 5, 9, 10, 13-14,
19-23, 25, 27-34. For the negative statements (NS), it is obtained by adding numbers 4, 6-8, 11-
12, 15-18, 24, and 26. Then, to solve for the level, one needs to follow the formula: PRPSA = 72
– (NS + PS). The PRPSA level is interpreted as: High Anxiety (PRPSA = or > 132), Medium

Anxiety (PRPSA = 99 – 131), and Low Anxiety (PRPSA = or < 98). Positive statements refer to
statements which reveal that a student has anxiety in terms of speaking (e.g. ‘while preparing for
a speech, I feel tense and nervous; ‘my thoughts become confused and jumbled when I am giving
a speech’). Negative statements pertain to statements which shows that a student has little to no
anxiety in terms of speaking (e.g ‘I have no fear when giving a speech’; ‘I feel relaxed while giving
a speech’).
This will serve as the students’ pre-PRPSA level which will be compared to the post-
PRPSA level after the intervention.
Analysis of Means. After the scores have been obtained in both the PRPSA and the SABS,
the researchers obtained the mean scores from the pre and the post administration of the materials.
Afterwards, the researchers compared these means in order to deduce whether there was a change
in the scores after the treatment. The different means were tabulated and compared for analysis
and interpretation as well as possible conclusions.
Observation of Student Reaction towards Public Speaking Activities. This will be a
more qualitative approach to the study wherein the teacher will observe the reactions of the student
as well as their behavior during the preparation, presentation, and evaluation of their public
speaking activities. The observation notes that the teachers would have on this aspect will be
important in determining the progressive effect of the Three-Step Intervention in alleviating the
students’ public speaking anxiety.
3.0 Results and Discussion
The researchers have identified through the pre SABS, pre PRPSA, and the interviews that
the students in their respective sections are experiencing instances of PSA. Thus, the researchers

decided that there is a need to implement a Three-Step Intervention in order to help students cope
with their PSA, which in turn, will allow them to perform better in their public speaking activities
which comprise almost fifty percent of their grade in their English class. For the researchers to
determine whether the implementation of the Three-Step Intervention was effective, they
presented three research questions which will allow the changes brought by the intervention to be
shown. These changes are quantitative in nature, showing changes in terms of their scores in the
SABS, their self-perception scores in the PRPSA, and whether or not, the level of PSA in the
students have been reduced.
3.1 Was there a change in the students’ mean scores in the Specific Anxiety Behavior
Scales (SABS) between the pre-treatment and the post-treatment?
In the Grade 8 level, the researchers used the Specific Anxiety Behavior Scales (SABS)
again to evaluate the fifteen students who were originally part of the pre-SABS. Through a
comparison of the mean scores between the pre and post SABS, the researchers discovered a
lowering of their mean scores with regard to the anxiety behaviors they displayed when performing
their speeches. This means that a higher mean would denote more anxiety behaviors while a lower
one means a more sparse display of anxious behavior.
Mean Scores for Pre and Post Treatment – Specific Anxiety Behavior Scale (Grade 8)
Category of Behavior Pre-Treatment Post-Treatment
Physical 0.55 0.166667
Social 0.444444 0.066667
Others 0.066667 0

The table showed the three types of behaviors stated in the SABS, and there are a few
things to notice from the results. The first one is how the mean for the first two behaviors were
lower after the treatment as compared to the mean in the pre-treatment. This would mean that the
students, after the treatment, began to display less physical behaviors of anxiety when doing their
speeches. According to how the SABS would evaluate, an amount or value of ‘1’ would mean
that all the students displayed such an anxious behavior. Thus, in the pre-treatment, it is possible
to assume that 55% of the physical behaviors of anxiety were displayed by all the students, ranging
from Tense Posture to Feet Movement which are highly evident in the needs analysis. Going over
to the Post-treatment, from 55% of the physical behaviors, the students now only displayed almost
17% with the majority of it coming from agitation and total discontinuation. Hence, with these
results, the researchers believe that the Three-Step Intervention was effective in reducing instances
of students displaying physical behaviors of anxiety.
In the Grade 10 level, the researchers used the Specific Anxiety Behavior Scales (SABS)
again to evaluate the eighteen students who were originally part of the pre-SABS. Through a
comparison of the mean scores between the pre and post SABS, the researchers discovered a
lowering of their mean scores with regard to the anxiety behaviors they displayed when performing
their speeches. This means that a higher mean would denote more anxiety behaviors while a lower
one means a more sparse display of anxious behavior.

Mean Scores for Pre and Post Treatment – Specific Anxiety Behavior Scale (Grade 10)
Category of Behavior Pre-Treatment Post-Treatment
Physical 0.722222 0.138888
Social 0.555556 0.111111
Others 0 0.277777
The table showed the three types of behaviors stated in the SABS, and there are a few
things to notice from the results. The first one is how the mean for the first two behaviors were
lower after the treatment as compared to the mean in the pre-treatment. This would mean that the
students, after the treatment, began to display less physical behaviors of anxiety when doing their
speeches. According to how the SABS would evaluate, an amount or value of ‘1’ would mean
that all the students displayed such an anxious behavior. Thus, in the pre-treatment, it is possible
to assume that 72% of the physical behaviors of anxiety were displayed by all the students, ranging
from Tense Posture to Feet Movement which are highly evident in the needs analysis. Going over
to the Post-treatment, from 72% of the physical behaviors, the students now only displayed almost
14% with the majority of it coming from agitation and total discontinuation. Hence, with these
results, the researchers believe that the Three-Step Intervention was effective in reducing instances
of students displaying physical behaviors of anxiety.

Physical Behaviors of Anxiety Mean Pre and Post Treatment (Grade 8)
Physical Behavior of Anxiety Mean Pre-Treatment Instances Mean Post-Treatment
Instances
Tense Posture (TP) 0.4 (40%) 0.0667 (7%)
Agitation (AGI) 0.8 (80%) 0.2 (20%)
Fumbling (FMB) 0.267 (27%) 0.133 (13%)
Foot Movement (FM) 0.733 (73%) 0.267 (27%)
In the table above, the mean scores of the physical behaviors are shown of the Grade 8
participants. Before the Three-Step Intervention, the highest instance of physical anxiety behavior
came from AGI with 80% of the participants displaying unnecessary hand movements and gestures
which gave away their anxiety. FM and TP came in next with 73% and 40% of the participants
respectively; displaying each of them while FMB had the lowest instance with 27% of the
participants showing this behavior. However, after the Three-Step Intervention, there is an
immense reduction in instances of physical behavior. AGI now only had 20% of the participants
showing this behavior while FM had the highest at 27% of the students displaying signs of agitation
during their speeches. TP was seen in 7% of the participants while FMB had 13% of the
participants which has seen a slight decrease from the pre-treatment.
Physical Behaviors of Anxiety Mean Pre and Post Treatment (Grade 10)
Physical Behavior of Anxiety Mean Pre-Treatment Instances Mean Post-Treatment
Instances
Tense Posture (TP) 0.778 (77%) 0.056 (5%)
Agitation (AGI) 0.778 (77%) 0.388 (38%)
Fumbling (FMB) 0.5 (50%) 0 (0%)
Foot Movement (FM) 0.833 (83%) 0.111 (11%)

In the table above, the mean scores of the physical behaviors are shown of the Grade 10
participants. Before the Three-Step Intervention, the highest instance of physical anxiety behavior
came from FM with 83% of the participants displaying unnecessary foot movements which gave
away their anxiety. TP and AGI came in next with 77% of the participants displaying each of
them while FMB had the lowest instance with 50% of the participants showing this behavior.
However, after the Three-Step Intervention, there is an immense reduction in instances of physical
behavior. FM now only had 11% of the participants showing this behavior while AGI had the
highest at 38% of the students displaying signs of agitation during their speeches. TP was seen in
5% of the participants while FMB had completely vanished when none of the participants showed
any signs of fumbling.
In the Social category of anxious behaviors of Grade 8 students, 44% of the social anxious
behaviors were displayed by all the students which range from non-verbal to laughing from the
total of the pre-treatment mean. With the post-treatment, from 44%, the percentage went down to
7%. Thus, it is also possible to assume that the Three-Step Intervention helped the students in
reducing their displays of social anxious behaviors.
Social Behaviors of Anxiety Mean Pre and Post Treatment (Grade 8)
Social Behavior of Anxiety Mean Pre-Treatment
Instances
Mean Post-Treatment
Instances
Non-Verbal (NV) 1 (100%) 0.0667 (7%)
Verbal (V) 0.2667 (27%) 0.133 (13%)
Laughing (L) 0.0667 (7%) 0 (0%)
From the Social category of anxious behaviors, the pre-treatment shows how all the
participants displayed the non-verbal signs of anxiety through their inability to make eye contact,

effective hand gestures, and the like. However, after the Three-Step Intervention, from a hundred
percent, the NV behavior was now only displayed in 7% of the participants. Meanwhile, V, in the
pre-treatment, was displayed by 27% of the students which became 13% after the implementation
of the intervention. Similarly, the L having 7% in the pre-treatment was reduced completely to
0%. Thus, it is possible to also assume that the Three-Step Intervention was also effective in
reducing the social behaviors of anxiety instances in the students’ performance.
In the Social category of anxious behaviors of Grade 10 students, 55% of the social anxious
behaviors were displayed by all the students which range from non-verbal to laughing. With the
post-treatment, from 55%, the percentage went down to 11%. Thus, it is also possible to assume
that the Three-Step Intervention helped the students in reducing their displays of social anxious
behaviors.
Social Behaviors of Anxiety Mean Pre and Post Treatment (Grade 10)
Social Behavior of Anxiety Mean Pre-Treatment
Instances
Mean Post-Treatment
Instances
Non-Verbal (NV) 1 (100%) 0.166 (16%)
Verbal (V) 0.222 (22%) 0.055 (5%)
Laughing (L) 0.444 (44%) 0.111 (11%)
From the Social category of anxious behaviors, the pre-treatment shows how all the
participants displayed the non-verbal signs of anxiety through their inability to make eye contact,
effective hand gestures, and the like. However, after the Three-Step Intervention, from a hundred
percent, the NV behavior was now only displayed in 16% of the participants. Meanwhile, V, in
the pre-treatment, was displayed by 22% of the students which became 5% after the
implementation of the intervention. Similarly, the L behavior dropped from 44% in the pre-

treatment to 11% after the intervention. Thus, it is possible to also assume that the Three-Step
Intervention was also effective in reducing the social behaviors of anxiety instances in the students’
performance.
Other Behavior of Anxiety Mean Pre and Post Treatment (Grade 8)
Behavior Mean Pre Treatment
Instances
Mean Post-Treatment
Instances
Total Discontinuation (TD) 0.0667 (7%) 0 (0%)
In the TD behavior 7% was recorded in the pre-treatment which was reduced to 0% in the
post-treatment. Based from the researchers’ observations, students would tend to speak
spontaneously but still use fillers such as ‘uhm’ while delivering a speech. The ST (Skills Training)
may have helped the students in coping up with their manner of speaking despite committing errors
in the other behaviors of SABS. With the result of the post-treatment a possible reason could stem
from the self-monitoring and awareness brought about by the skills training done with he students.
Other Behavior of Anxiety Mean Pre and Post Treatment (Grade 10)
Behavior Mean Pre Treatment
Instances
Mean Post-Treatment
Instances
Total Discontinuation (TD) 0 (0%) 0.27778 (27%)
Interestingly, in the TD behavior, none of the students displayed this behavior before the
treatment was administered. Based from the researchers’ observations, instead of stopping with
their speech, the students would make use of fillers such as ‘uhhh’ or ‘ahhh’, but after the
treatment, the students would prefer to just stop to recollect their thoughts before continuing with
their speech. In Nikitina’s (2011) study for such pauses, she explained how a pause can be used to

not only leave room to gather one’s thoughts, but it can also serve to increase anticipation of the
succeeding words or to raise impact of a remark. She stated how, in public speaking, there is little
use to fill a silence with meaningless fillers. This not only distracts the audience, but it may also
even reduce the clarity of one’s speech. This may have resulted from one of the Skills Training
(ST) that was done during the Three-Step Intervention. As such, while the SABS label a
discontinuation of speech as a sign of anxiety, it might also be plausible at this point that the
students use pauses to cope with their fear when speaking.
Grade 8
Final Mean Pre-Treatment Post-Treatment
Total Mean 3.6 0.86667 / 1
Grade 10
Final Mean Pre-Treatment Post-Treatment
Total Mean 4.5556 / 4.6 1.1667 / 1.2
All in all, the SABS reported these final means with regard to the students’ level of anxiety
in terms of the anxious behaviors they displayed during their performance. In the pre-SABS, the
final mean amounted to 3.6 in Grade 8 and 4.6 in Grade 10 when rounded off. According to the
established scale, this would label the participants as having a moderate level of anxiety, but again,
with their grade in English being affected with 50% of their speaking activities, this is still
important to take into account. However, after the treatment with the intervention, the students’
average level of anxiety was reduced to 1 in Grade 8 and 1.2 in Grade 10 when rounded off, setting
it in the Low Anxiety category.

Thus, to answer the research question, there was a change in the mean scores between the
pre and the post SABS application. There was almost a 2.6 and 3.4 decrease in the level of the
studens’ anxiety in Grade 8 and Grade 10 respectively, and thus, it is possible to say that the Three-
Step Intervention allowed the students to cope more with their anxiety by reducing the instances
that they would display nervous and anxious behavior when performing. Furthermore, it should
be noted that the students may have learned to also pace and pause in order to gather their thoughts,
and monitor their movements when delivering a speech calming their anxiety before proceeding
to speak again.
3.2 Was there a change in the students’ mean scores in the Personal Report of Speaking
Anxiety (PRPSA) between the pre-treatment and the post-treatment?
Personal Report of Public Speaking Anxiety (PRPSA) Mean Results (Grade 8)
Pre-Treatment Post-Treatment
Mean 111.1 103.48
Level of Public Speaking
Anxiety (PSA)
Moderate Moderate
Personal Report of Public Speaking Anxiety (PRPSA) Mean Results (Grade 10)
Pre-Treatment Post-Treatment
Mean 110.4 103.57
Level of Public Speaking
Anxiety (PSA)
Moderate Moderate
For the Personal Report of Public Speaking Anxiety (PRPSA), there was little evidence of
improvement in terms of how the students perceive their own level of PSA. Before the intervention
was applied in the classroom, the students reported a mean of 111.1 in Grade 8 and 110.4 in Grade

10 in terms of their level of PSA. According to the scale given by McCroskey, 111.1 and 110.4
would fall under the Moderate level of PSA. This would mean that, generally, the thirty-one (31)
and thirty-five (35) students who partook in the PRPSA leaned more towards a moderate level of
PSA. After the intervention was done by the researchers, the results showed that while there was
a decrease in the mean (7.62 in Grade 8 and 6.83 in Grade 10 difference), the general level of PSA
for the thirty-one (31) and thirty-five (35) students remained the same at Moderate.
A possible reason for this could be because of only a two-weeks’ worth of intervention
instead of the planned three weeks. The numerous suspensions, English Month activities, and
unexpected class cuts prevented the researchers from being able to fully implement the Three-Step
Intervention. Thus, they were forced to rush the process by reducing the timeframe to
accommodate the three steps in only two weeks. However, even if the implementation was
somewhat limited, the fact that at the very least that the numbers were reduced would mean that
the intervention still had some positive results in reducing the students’ level of PSA.
Thus, to answer the second research question, there was a change in the mean scores
between the pre and post PRPSAs of the students. However, it is important to note that while there
was a 7.62 and 6.83 difference in terms of the mean, the category of PSA still remained the same
at moderate.
3.3 Were the students’ level of Public Speaking Anxiety (PSA) reduced after the
intervention?
Since both the SABS and the PRPSA categorized the participants in different levels of PSA
according to a range, the researchers would first discuss the results separately by measurement
tool, and then, they will bring together the interpretation to make a generalized statement.

3.3.1 Results from the SABS
The table above shows the general overview of how the SABS turned out
from pre to post treatment. Before the implementation, there were no students who
belonged to the Low level of PSA in the Grade 8 and 10 levels. Meanwhile, in the
Moderate level, there were thirteen (13) students in Grade 8 and fourteen (14)
students in Grade 10 while the High obtained two (2) in the Grade 8 level and four
(4) in the Grade 10 level. From this, the researchers determined that the students
had problems with PSA since a great number of them belonged to moderate to high.
Thus, after the treatment was performed, no students were found in the high
category, and most of them were transferred now to the Low category with two (2)
SABS Results (Grade 8)
Level of Anxiety Pre-treatment # of
Students
Post-Treatment # of
students
Low 0 13
Moderate 13 2
High 2 0
SABS Results (Grade 10)
Students
Post-Treatment # of
students
Low 0 15
Moderate 14 3
High 4 0

in Grade 8 and three (3) in Grade 10 in the Moderate level. However, for the
researchers to fully answer the question, they have provided a portion of the
database to reveal the movement of the students’ PSA levels.
From the database (see Appendix I), fourteen (14) from Grade 8 and sixteen
(16) from Grade 10 of the students had a reduced level of PSA based on the SABS.
Students # 1 and 4 from Grade 8 who received a High Level of PSA in the pre-
SABS but received Low Level and Moderate Level respectively in the post-SABS.
Most particular thing to note are students #1, 10, and 13 from Grade 10 who
obtained a Low level in the post-SABS, but in the pre-SABS they had a High level
of PSA. Meanwhile, it is also possible to observe how different the other thirteen
(13) students in Grade 8 and 10 also obtained a reduction in their PSA levels in the
SABS. However, there are two students (#11 and 17) from Grade 10 whose PSA
levels were retained, but it is also important to mention that while their levels of
PSA were the same, their score in the SABS were reduced by one (1) point. Thus,
from the SABS’ perspective, most of the students had a reduced level of PSA with
two of them having their levels retained, but their PSA scores reduced.
Therefore, the researchers believed that the Three-Step Intervention was
quite effective in terms of reducing student anxious behavior because sixteen (16)
out of the eighteen (18) participants had a reduced level of PSA.

3.3.2 Results from the PRPSA
From the general results above, a reduction in the level of PSA can also be
observed. From two (2) students in Grade 8 and five (5) students in Grade 10 who
had high anxiety, after the intervention, there was only one left. In the moderate
level, from twenty-two (22) in Grade 8 and twenty (20) in Grade 10, it decreased
to twelve (12) in Grade 8 and was bumped up to twenty-one (21) in Grade 10, but
this could be because the ones from the high anxiety were now categorized as
moderate anxiety due to the intervention. Meanwhile, from just seven (7) students
in Grade 8 and ten (10) students in Grade 10 in the low category, it now became
nineteen (19) and thirteen (13) after the intervention respectively.
PRPSA Results (Grade 8)
Students
Post-Treatment #
of students
Low (LA) 7 19
Moderate (MA) 22 12
High (HA) 2 0
PRPSA Results (Grade 10)
Students
Post-Treatment #
of students
Low (LA) 10 13
Moderate (MA) 20 21
High (HA) 5 1

Similar with the SABS, the researchers have also provided the database to
better understand the movement of the levels.
Thus, from the data (see Appendix J), there are a few interesting details to
note. First, the two students (Students #3 and 8) who belonged to the HA category
reduced to lower levels in Grade 8 while in Grade 10 the five students (Students
#6, 14, 18, 27, and 30) who belonged to the HA category were all successfully
reduced to lower levels. Two of the five HA students reported having only LA after
the intervention while remaining three were reduced to the MA level. The four
remaining instances of decreased levels were the MA-level students who went
down to the LA level which also shows a positive effect of the Three-Step
Intervention. However, surprisingly, students #3, 17, 32, and 33 reported as having
increased levels of PSA instead with one of them going from MA to HA. This
could have occurred because these students could have been the ones who
performed poorly in the public speaking activity, and as such, they began to be
more anxious of public speaking due to their failure. Another reason, perhaps,
could be the rushed implementation of the intervention due again to the time
constraints. The latter could be the most rational reason for such results as this
could also be the factor as to why majority of the respondents had retained their
levels (not including those who already had LA levels at the start, and reported to
have retained their LA level). With the Three-Step Intervention not fully
implemented, the positive effects were not so clearly seen. However, similar with
the SABS results, even if the students only reported as having retained their levels,
it is also important to look at the scores they obtained.

Most of the scores were actually reduced, although, they still fall under the
same category. This could mean that with the current implementation of the Three-
Step Intervention, the most obvious result is that the students experience a reduced
score of self-reported PSA, but generally, they still fall under the same category.
Thus, this paper has looked at the two sides of PSA levels: one that manifests through the
students’ behavior during their speech, and one that stems from the students’ self-reported PSA
level. To the question of whether there was a reduction in the Grade 8 and Grade 10 students’
PSA levels, the researchers would like to answer it as both ‘yes’ and ‘no’. Yes, there was a
reduction of PSA in terms of the anxious behaviors of the students. It is possible to assume that
through the Three-Step Intervention, the students learned to display less anxious behaviors, and as
such, they scored lower in the PSA levels with regard to the SABS. However, it is also a ‘no’. It
is a ‘no’ because in the self-reported PSA levels, most of the students reported to have retained
their level of PSA. However, this does not necessarily mean that the Three-Step Intervention was
ineffective, because even if the students merely retained their level, there is still a reduction in their
anxiety scores.
In short, the students had a lowered level of anxiety in terms of their anxious behaviors,
but in the perspective of the self-reported anxiety, the students retained their levels albeit their
scores were reduced.
4. Conclusion and Recommendation
The researchers, having conducted their needs analysis in Manila Science, discovered that
the selected students in Grade 8 and 10 had problems regarding their Public Speaking Anxiety
(PSA). In order to arrive at this decision, the researchers had used the Specific Anxiety Behavior

Scale (SABS) to detect anxiety stemming from behaviors during public speaking activities.
Furthermore, they used the Personal Report of Public Speaking Anxiety (PRPSA) to determine the
students’ level of PSA, and they determined that a good percentage of the class had a moderate to
high level of PSA. To validate these claims, the researchers also interviewed the teachers who
handled the class, and they confirmed the presence of PSA in their students.
Thus, the researchers decided to use the Three-Step Intervention to help the students cope
with their PSA. The goals of this study were to reduce the students’ scores and levels of PSA, and
to make them more aware of their anxious behaviors when speaking. The Three-Step Intervention
was conducted via a two-week’s worth of lessons which the researchers taught and implemented.
The researchers were able to measure the differences in the scores and means in order to determine
whether the implementation was a success.
Based from the results of from the SABS and the PRPSA, the researchers discovered that
there was a reduction, but it varied from one perspective to another. From the SABS, the
researchers determined that the students had demonstrated less anxious behaviors after the
treatment as compared to their behavior before the Three-Step Intervention was implemented. In
the tenth grade, the greatest reduction came from the Physical aspect of anxious behaviors while
the lowest came from the Others. On the other hand, the eighth grade had Social as the greatest
reduction in terms of means with the Others garnering also the lowest reduction. This means that
in the tenth grade, the students became more skilled in controlling their physical behaviors of
anxiety, and this could have allowed them to perform better. The same idea goes for the eighth
grade who became more proficient in controlling the social aspect of their anxiety.
In the PRPSA, the researchers found out that there was also a decrease in both scores and
levels. For the eighth grade, there was a dominant presence of students whose PSA levels

decreased, however, it should be noted that the mean score for the participants in the PRPSA still
bordered on the Moderate level which was the same even before the treatment was implemented.
Similarly, the tenth grade also experienced this outcome as their mean score for the PRPSA was
also retained at the Moderate level of anxiety, the same level pre treatment. However, unlike the
eighth grade, the tenth grade had a staggering presence of students whose PSA levels were actually
retained. But, it should also be taken into account that while their levels were retained, their actual
scores all decreased.
Lastly, the researchers found out from the third question that the students had different
outcomes and results from the SABS and the PRPSA. From the SABS, there was no doubt that
the students had reduced incidents of anxious behaviors, and in fact, almost half of the students
had a zero score in terms of anxiety. This means that from the SABS, there was a great decrease
in levels which could point to how the Three-Step Intervention is quite effective in helping students
cope with their anxious behaviors. However, this is quite different when it came to the PRPSA.
The PRPSA yielded the result of a retained level of PSA. The scores from both pre and post
treatment still remained within the bracket of the Moderate level of PSA, and while the scores
were reduced, it is impossible to say that the students did have a decreased level of PSA from the
PRPSA. Thus, the PRPSA would mean that when it comes to the students’ self-perception of their
own anxiety, they still believe that they are anxious. In other words, the Three-Step Intervention
was able to reduce the scores of anxiety, but the level remained the same.
Thus, it is possible to say that through the Three-Step Intervention, the students managed
to cope with their anxiety by controlling their behaviors, but deep inside, they are still experiencing
PSA at varying levels.

Recommendations
The researchers advise future studies to not only obtain a greater sample size in order to
have a more valid result, but to also use more instruments which would not only tackle behavior
and self-perception, but also how the content blends with the notion of PSA. Furthermore, due to
the numerous suspensions and school-wide activities (English month, speakers, foundation week)
that the school had, the researchers had a limited time to implement the study which could have
contributed to the retained level of PSA that the students reported. Hence, the researchers
recommend a longer amount of time for implementation in order to yield the best results.
Moreover, the researchers would also like to recommend future researchers to also look at
the different factors which causes PSA. Since this study is mostly quantitative, it is quite hard to
look at the factors which caused the students to have this anxiety. Specifically, the researchers
recommend to look at how language affects a learner’s PSA level, and how this varies from one
language class to another (English to Filipino class, for example). However, it can also be effective
if the future researchers can also look at the other factors which can contribute to PSA. While the
researchers did mention the factors of anxiety from the CAC, in the Philippine setting, it may be
different with regard to Del Villar’s study. Also, it could also be good for future studies to establish
a positive correlation between PSA levels and academic standing in order the field to have a deeper
understanding of how PSA can affect a student’s standing not only in English classes, but also in
the other disciplines. It can also be helpful if further research can be done on how the different
teachers actually define Public Speaking Activities, because a certain teacher factor could be at
play with regards how teachers would carry out or define a student’s public speaking performance.
Furthermore, the researchers would like to encourage future researchers to explore the
different methods of implementing the Three-Step Intervention. For example, in the Skills

A Three-Step Intervention In Reducing Public Speaking Anxiety (PSA) Levels In Selected High School Students

A Three-Step Intervention In Reducing Public Speaking Anxiety (PSA) Levels In Selected High School Students

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