Masters Theses

Date of Award

8-1982

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Major Professor

John E. Buckley

Committee Members

Robert S. Ambler, Norma C. Cook

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of motivation in the college level public speaking course. Though motivation, primarily grades, has begun to receive attention by researchers, the public speaking class setting has remained unexplored. Since the public performance format is inherently different from nonpublic performance classes and since individuals experience a certain degree of apprehension at the prospect of speaking before a group, it was suggested that the public performance setting might provide a source of motivation in addition to that provided by grades.

The subjects were 221 undergraduate students enrolled in a multisection public speaking class at The University of Tennessee, during the Spring Quarter of 1982. The data collection instruments were a 5-item pretest and a 10-item posttest administered to gain descriptive information and self reports from subjects about their attitudes and behaviors. Two questions asked subjects to record their perceptions of the value of grades A-F and their perception of the importance of making a good impression before the class. Three behavior report questions were used to gain information from subjects regarding the actual behaviors they performed in preparation for their graded speeches. The questionnaire provided options for subjects to indicate (1) how many times they rehearsed, (2) the method they utilized in rehearsing, and (3) the method of preparation they used in preparing for their most recent speech.

Five research questions were designed to explore the role of motivation in the public speaking class. Questions 1 and 2 were directed toward the possibility of a change over time in the perceptions of grade value and importance of making a good impression. Question 3 was designed to determine whether the frequency of performance of the three behaviors changed over time. Questions 4 and 5 compared subjects' perceptions of importance of making a good impression and of grade value with the 3 tested behaviors. Chi-square and General Linear Model Analyses were used to test the 5 research questions. Only one behavior, frequency of rehearsal, showed a significant change over the course of the class, though the chi-square value for method of speech preparation approached significance. No significant correlations were found.

Future exploration utilizing more precise instrumentation and tighter control over procedural variations were suggested for investigating the possibility that public presentation serves as additional motivation in an educational setting. It is also suggested that other speech making variables be tested to provide a complete examination of the public performance class setting.

Download
Files over 3MB may be slow to open. For best results, right-click and select "save as..."

Share

COinS