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With the development of technology, the circulation of information around the world has accelerated. Journalism has now entered social media and mobile phones and has started to accompany people everywhere. The role of the media in education helps to learn, develop and keep alive a culture, and then transfer it to new generations. Media messages prepared for educational purposes aim to educate the individual and society on certain issues. The media is integrative with publications that raise awareness of the country, state and nation, make people popular, protect and protect national values. Thanks to the developing technology, politicians benefit from the educational role of the media by using new media tools as well as traditional media. In this study, the concepts of communication and media are explained in detail. In the continuation of the study, it was tried to reveal what needs to be done about the realization of a successful corporate perception management by mentioning the importance of corporate perception management in public administration by making use of the developing technology. Using content analysis, the interviews of the President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Ersin Tatar, in the TRNC and universities in Turkey in October 2023 were examined.

This study analyses the communicative competencies of civil servants in Kazakhstan, highlighting the crucial role of effective communication in fostering public trust and enhancing democratic engagement. Utilizing qualitative focus group discussions with 32 experts, the research identified key deficiencies, including reliance on bureaucratic language, a lack of empathy, and inadequate crisis communication skills. These issues underscore the pressing need for communication strategies tailored to the Kazakhstani context. The study points to the necessity of developing Kazakhstan-specific communication frameworks and emphasizes the importance of improving training programs and promoting emotional intelligence among civil servants. By enhancing internal communication processes and clarifying responsibilities, government employees can better serve the public, fostering a more transparent, responsive, and participatory government. This research offers a valuable foundation for future initiatives aimed at refining the communicative competencies of civil servants in Kazakhstan, suggesting pathways for implementing targeted improvements and developing more effective communication practices within the public sector. Through these efforts, the study aims to contribute to the creation of a government that not only addresses public needs more efficiently but also actively engages citizens in the democratic process, ultimately strengthening the relationship between the state and its people.

Considering that fairy tales have long been popular in second language (L2) education, we ask how these texts can remain applicable to our changing student body. In addition to their use in lower-level German classes for language and culture acquisition, fairy tales also provide a springboard into L2 literary interpretation for more advanced students, both at the secondary and postsecondary levels. The authors demonstrate that scaffolding and historical contextualization can enable students to engage in deep cultural and transcultural readings, public presentations, creative re-imaginings, as well as critical analyses. Examples come from two German programs at institutions with different educational goals--one focused on community-engagement, the other on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Both demonstrate how reading seminal tales through a variety of lenses can serve divergent learning goals. In one language program, they form the basis for community-engaged projects that connect learners to L2-speaking communities; in the other, they allow students to imagine social change by learning to recognize deep-seated inequities and critically examine how concepts of gender, race and ableism shape the spaces in which they live. The activities described are also applicable to other languages.

Traditional English education in China, with its emphasis on grammatical proficiency and written accuracy, often neglects public speaking, resulting in a notable deficiency in practical language application. This study investigated the potential of project-based learning to address this problem by promoting more interactive, student-centered learning experiences that foster authentic language use, specifically aiming to improve public speaking performance among university students in China, who are learning English as a foreign language (EFL). An explanatory sequential mixed method study, involving the pretest and post-test for quantitative data and semistructured interviews for qualitative data, was conducted with 60 students purposely selected as the research participants. By the triangulation of the quantitative and qualitative findings, it was found that students in the experimental group who underwent the project-based learning intervention showed a significant improvement in English public speaking performance compared with the control group. In addition, students who participated in the interview held a positive attitude toward integrating project-based learning strategy into the process of learning English public speaking. These results contribute to the growing body of evidence supporting the adoption of project-based learning approach in EFL teaching, particularly in contexts where enhancing oral communication skills is a priority.

Creating its own learner corpus, this research proposed to analyze and classify the transition markers used in solo presentation by 30 Thai engineering students based on Hyland (2019)'s Marker Categorization in Textual Metadiscourse. This research also aimed to identify and compare the quantities of individual transition markers among three groups of the selected 30 students (10 high, 10 mid, and 10 low users). The research employed both quantitative and qualitative method through SPSS, Transkriptor, and AntConc. The results showed that--and--was the top word utlized as a textual marker among all three groups while some other top transition markers ranked slightly differently among the groups. In addition to the search on the list of textual markers, the manual observation encountered other phrases acting as textual markers. The results indicated that users from average level can apply phrases as textual markers to communicate coherence instead of using traditional transition markers. Moreover, the "reminders", the act of reminding the listeners of previous content, manifested as a possible indicator of advanced proficiency users as the weak users were found to not produce any of this category. Thus, learners may improve their English-speaking skills if they are guided through the process of developing coherence in context using various categories of textual markers.

The use of grades as an extrinsic motivator in formal schooling has been demonstrated in previous research to have negative implications for students' learning and mental health. This subject matter has been particularly absent from the research literature in Vietnam, where the obsession with grades is self-evident. The present study aims to explore Vietnamese university students' orientations toward learning and grades, learning strategy use, mental well-being, and how these variables correlate. In addition, the study examines the potential interplay between learning orientation and grade orientation to influence the latter two variables. A quantitative research design was employed to achieve these goals. Survey responses were collected from 38 second- and third-year students majoring in English Language at a large, public university during a summer semester. Specifically for learning strategy use, participants were directed to pull from their experiences in a Public Speaking course that they had completed in the previous semester. Results revealed that a learning orientation was moderately related to both adaptive learning strategy use and mental wellness, whereas a grade orientation was only negatively related to learning strategy use and unrelated to mental well-being. Moreover, a strong learning orientation alone resulted in the most positive outcomes for both learning and mental health, and higher levels of grade orientation weakened those outcomes. Limitations of the study, directions for future research in this area, and implications for students and educators are then discussed.

Public speaking often imposes a nerve-wracking atmosphere in the L2 classrooms. Consequently, an alternative to the anxiety-arousing activity by using advanced technology for pedagogy is urgent. Prior publications reported the use of virtual reality (VR) for training public speaking and alleviating students' public speaking anxiety (PSA). However, no latest review in this area has been published. This present study employed a systematic review to delineate the trends in the latest decade (between 2011 and 2023), synthesizing research outcomes, methodologies, loci, participants, treatment duration, and research focuses. This systematic review was based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. Conceptual and theoretical studies were removed, yielding 16 studies with empirical data to be thoroughly examined. Most studies indicated the effectiveness of VR for teaching public speaking and reducing speech apprehension. Several gaps were disclosed, such as the inconsistency of the research findings regarding whether the short duration of VR exposure resulted in the statistically non-significant effects, the unequal distribution of research loci which were mostly reported from the US, the UK, and Europe, and the major focus on English as L1 instead of L2 public speaking training. The results of this review suggest that more pertinent studies in countries with EFL or L2 learning contexts and longer treatment duration be conducted and reported in the globally renowned English-language journals to verify the effectiveness of VR technology in treating PSA.

Foreign language anxiety (FLA) is a well-documented phenomenon that can significantly affect academic performance. This study examined the extent to which Taiwanese postgraduate students experienced speaking anxiety during thesis defense presentations, along with potential gender differences and variations across postgraduate programs. It specifically analyzed the correlation between anxiety and thesis presentation performance. A meticulously designed study involving 168 Taiwanese master's students in an oral thesis defense seminar employed a modified Academic Performance Scale and Personal Report of Public Speaking Anxiety instruments to quantitatively evaluate anxiety levels. Statistical analyses unveiled significant associations between anxiety levels and academic performance. The results indicate a high level of anxiety among participants, with a mean anxiety level of 4.05 (N=168, X=2.85) and a moderate level of thesis presentation performance, evidenced by a mean score of 2.85 (N=168, X=2.85). Notably, female postgraduates exhibited higher anxiety levels than their male counterparts. The study identifies a positive, albeit modest, correlation between anxiety and performance, suggesting that a certain level of anxiety may enhance performance. The findings underscore the pervasive influence of anxiety in academic contexts and highlight gender disparities and the impact of diverse postgraduate programs on anxiety and performance. The study challenges conventional assumptions about the negative effects of anxiety on performance, suggesting that moderate anxiety can be a motivating catalyst. This study contributes to a more nuanced understanding of the role of anxiety in learning and performance and prompts the development of targeted interventions to address anxiety and support postgraduate students' academic success.

The integration of sports-related contexts into mathematics education, along with the inclusion of guest speakers in classroom settings, is a widely acknowledged pedagogical strategy. This study employs a descriptive research approach to analyze a didactic activity conducted with 86 third-year students pursuing a Degree in Primary Education at the University of the Basque Country. The chosen sport for this activity was Basque "pala," featuring a guest speaker renowned as one of the sport's all-time greats. This activity aimed to enhance the future primary school teachers' capacity to develop and select appropriate mathematical educational materials. Data for this research comprise the mathematical inquiries generated by students' post-guest lectures and responses gathered from a post-session survey. Findings reveal that student participants held a notably favorable perception regarding using Basque "pala" as a mathematical context within primary school education and as a component of their pedagogical training. The involvement of the guest speaker received exceptionally high acclaim. These outcomes remained consistent across two academic years and regardless of respondents' gender. In summary, when introduced by a distinguished practitioner, Basque "pala" proved to be a fertile ground for generating mathematical tasks and was a highly motivating factor for pre-service teachers.

In this essay I concentrate on a distinct aspect of teaching courses online postpandemic: concrete steps both to ease workload burden and to increase student learning efficacy. There are ten lessons that can facilitate moving instruction online: 1. Organize the Course in Weekly Modules; 2. Communicate on a Regular Schedule; 3. Post Key Lectures; 4. Implement Discussions; 5. Provide Frequent Feedback; 6. Solicit Student Feedback; 7. Reconsider Deadlines; 8. Use Online Assessments; 9. Experiment and Learn from Others; and 10. Proactively Seek Administrative Support. I applied these lessons to a specific course: Public Speaking. Traditionally based on face-to-face presentations, the ability to move this course online bodes well for adapting all instruction to the requirements of online learning.

This study employed a critical inquiry paradigm to explore the significance of equity and social justice in teaching qualitative methodologies and methods to graduate students. Graduate students of multiple minoritized identities and a faculty member conducted a two-year inquiry into the research apprenticeship experience, including the stages of student-led conceptualization, data collection, analysis, international conference presentation, and publication. The study investigated the experiences of the faculty and students as well as the responsibilities of the institution against the backdrop of historical and contemporary pandemics. Consequently, we problematized hidden curriculum and unconscious assumptions to suggest research course design sequencing improvements. The findings emphasize the impact of these experiences on qualitative research teaching and learning practices and institutional responsibility to graduate student research apprenticeships. The Graduate Research Apprenticeship Nested Design Pathway is presented as a tool that institutions worldwide can adapt and implement to serve the complex needs of their students.

Persuasiveness in oral communication in English can be expressed with various vocal phonetic cues that may not be readily accessible to English second language (L2) learners whose native language may employ a different set of cues. With a goal to increase L2 learners' perceived spoken confidence and persuasiveness, and obtain empirical evidence for phonetic adjustments that native English speakers make to influence listeners, the current study explored the use of consonant prolongation in stressed syllable onsets for emphasis by native British English speakers and English L2 learners. The native speakers' durations of continuant consonants and voiceless stop consonant voice onset times (VOTs) in (1) neutrally-produced speech and (2) persuasively delivered motivational/shocking/emotional messages were compared to Latvian L2 English speakers' productions. The results revealed that in persuasive speech, the British speakers' consonantal durations, particularly those of continuants, got significantly longer relative to the vowels that followed them; for English L2 learners, the duration of consonants did not change as a factor of speech type. This is in line with our previous research with American English speakers and carries implications for L2 speech learning and teaching.

Low-stakes assessment has gained attention in recent years due to its link to enhancing learning effects and its essential role in learning evaluation. Unlike high-stakes assessments, low-stakes assessments have little or no consequences for learners' academic performance, and are designed to support the feedback-oriented learning process. Providing multiple low-stakes assessments to students yields significantly greater long-term retention of knowledge and skills. However, learners may not give their best efforts when taking low-stakes assessments, which could lead to poorer learning outcomes. Using emerging technologies such as social robots in the learning environment could foster interactive learning, engagement, and motivation for learning assessments. Therefore, integrating low-stakes assessments and robots might encourage students to exert greater effort while performing learning tasks. This study aimed to discover the impacts of robot-based multiple low-stakes assessments on students' oral presentation performance, collective efficacy, and learning attitude. A quasi-experiment was conducted in two sixth-grade classes of elementary students. The Robot-based Multiple Low-Stakes Assessment (Robot-MLSA) was randomly assigned to one class, while the Computer-based Multiple Low-Stakes Assessment (C-MLSA) was assigned to another class. The findings showed that the Robot-MLSA could enhance students' oral presentation performance, support their collective efficacy, and improve their learning attitude toward robots. Furthermore, an in-depth discussion of students' learning perceptions and experience is provided to explore the effectiveness of the Robot-MLSA.

This article reports youths´ interests and concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic by analyzing what Argentine students aged 12 to 18 years expressed within the 2020 edition of TED-Ed Clubs, an extracurricular school program aimed at developing and communicating an idea following a TED-talk format. Based on video recordings of a random sample of 100 students´ talks, we identified six recurring themes: 'current social affairs' such as gender equality and social media; 'Interpersonal relationships', focusing on adolescents´ bonds with peers and adults; 'rethinking lifestyles' such as the importance of developing healthy habits; 'sharing passions' typically describing activities about which they felt passionate, such as sports; 'self-discovery', which addressed introspective insights; and 'Pandemic' when referring to the current health crisis. In all cases, students aimed to engage and inspire their audience to reflect and act upon these issues. Results speak of the value of creating learning environments at school for youth voices to be acknowledged.

This essay analyzes the rhetorical framing tactics of a group of disability activists to understand how they use key words, topic shifts, and other framing maneuvers to amplify marginalized voices in public debates. Focusing on a town hall meeting and a legislator update meeting between activists and lawmakers, the author uses "stasis" theory to analyze how these maneuvers (1) create gateways for marginalized voices to enter the discussion and (2) anchor deliberations around topics of importance to the disabled community. This suggests a more complex role for framing in face-to-face deliberative contexts than studies of framing strategies in written texts have traditionally considered. I argue that a multidimensional view of framing uniting consideration of word choice with attention to interactive dynamics is necessary to appreciate how framing maneuvers can not only shape the content of debates but amplify the voices of people excluded by the tacit rules of democratic deliberation.

The cognitive theory of multimedia learning (CTML) describes a set of empirically tested principles that technical and professional communication research largely acknowledges as important to the design of presentation slides. However, presenters often run into difficulties understanding how to apply CTML principles to contexts in which it has not been tested. We present three pilot studies that extend our knowledge of how to apply CTML principles. Pilot study one suggests that CTML principles can be effective for presenting advanced research to expert audiences. Pilot study two highlights the importance of user testing nonessential images added primarily for visual interest, specifically finding that visual organizer images such as Microsoft PowerPoint's SmartArt, can backfire by unintentionally indicating imprecise relationships while adding little in terms of visual interest. Pilot study three suggests that, when needing to present a long quotation, presenters should avoid verbatim reading and consider abridging or paraphrasing the quotation.

This article explores genres as recurrent acts of positioning that contribute to associating particular positions with the genre users as social actors. As an illustration, the study investigates the positioning of Chinese university presidents in their published opening convocation speeches. By combining rhetorical move analysis with the positioning triangle framework, this study demystifies three positions conventionally used by university presidents in the genre: guiding educator, morale builder, and university representative. These positions, legitimized by the role of the university president, establish specific types of social relations between the president and the students, which function as channels for the transmission of values, particularly collective values, to address relevant social expectations in Chinese society. This study suggests that the genre-based positioning analysis can offer valuable genre knowledge to novice practitioners, enabling them to familiarize themselves with adequate positionings that adhere to the code of conduct within a discourse community, thereby facilitating effective genre realization.

Stage fright is a natural and very common phenomenon that affects everyone who must present themselves in public. However, it has a negative impact on the health and voice emission of children and adolescents, which is why it is important to study and measure it. Unfortunately, there are no appropriate tools for examining public presentation anxiety intended for children and adolescents, and that would also include the context of voice production. The main aim of this study was to describe stage fright and to present the stages of creating a tool based on the three-factor theory of stage fright constructs. The text describes the steps of developing the questionnaire, Confirmatory Factor Analysis, reliability, and convergent and discriminant validity. The results of the conducted analyses confirmed the three-factor structure of the tool and suggest that the Stage Fright Scale--Children & Youth is a reliable and consistent questionnaire for measuring stage fright in children and adolescents.

Professional and academic communication is changing rapidly due to the evolution of new technologies. In the context of language teaching, this scenario offers possibilities for genre innovation (Hafner & Miller, 2018) while also encouraging teachers' reflection on how to best prepare students for effective communication. To this end, it has been suggested that the development of students' multimodal literacy becomes essential (Lim & Tan-Chia, 2022). This study presents the design and implementation of a genre-based approach to enhance students' multimodal literacy through elevator pitch presentations. This approach was intended to involve students in the creation and production of a professionally oriented presentation while raising their awareness towards the expression of ideational, textual, and interpersonal meanings. In addition, we report on the students' experience during the pedagogical practice. Overall, the findings show that students were generally satisfied with the process of designing and delivering an elevator pitch presentation. Nevertheless, some students faced challenges during both the design and delivery process, primarily attributed to the demands of this particular genre.

The Institute of Teacher Education and Development (INTED) was founded in Accra, Ghana, in 2011, thanks to a fellowship from Stanford University. The institute is a nongovernmental organization whose objective is to improve learner outcomes by supporting the professional growth of educators. At the center of INTED's model is a professional learning initiative for teacher leaders called the Master Fellows Program. The Masters Fellow Program builds the capacity of teachers to become instructional leaders who support professional learning communities, engage other educators in the institute's professional learning activities, share their experiences at conferences and community events, and act as mentors and champions of teachers. Looking into the future, INTED is seeking to expand offerings to include online learning opportunities to ensure that greater numbers of teachers and schools can access its programs at lower costs and improved convenience.

The study examined the social and political circumstances in Ghana which evolved because of the pandemic created by COVID-19, and the extent to which President Akufo-Addo was able to effectively use the medium of speech to manage this global health emergency. This study focused on the stylistic choices of the speech and investigated how different sentence structures, repetitions, political jargon, and other linguistic characteristics were deployed. Textual analysis involves the appreciation of a text while explaining its ideological and cultural dimensions (Fursich, 2009). This study was underpinned by the Narrative Paradigm Theory and Sociolinguistics. Under Narrative Paradigm Theory, narratives have a plot and characters that are involved in an interaction and can therefore be seen as a narrative in form and function. Sociolinguistics shows how language can be presented in specific contexts of social life, and how it reflects and then includes meaning and structure in those contexts (Schiffrin, 1997). Also, textual analysis as a qualitative research methodology was used for this study, and as an interpretive approach, it concentrated on the embedded cultural and ideological positions on the material. The findings from this study showed that the speech that was in a narrative mood incorporated all the achievements and challenges identified during the pandemic. It also provided cases of semantic analysis of words and meaning, relations among words that included metaphors, semantics, argumentative, narrative, and cognitive frames.

Presentation skills are considered as the most vital proficiencies required in higher education. This research paper examined the difficulties of oral presentation EFL learners encountered, strategies used to make oral presentation well and the perceived role of lecturer in improving EFL learners' oral presentation skills. With regard to achieving these objectives, questionnaires distributed to 150 EFL learners, and face-to-face interviews were conducted. The quantitative data were analyzed through SPSS by conducting frequencies and percentages, independent sample t-test and ANOVA tests. The results of the study revealed that learners had a problem with oral fluency, accuracy and pronunciation during oral presentation, feel frightened when a lot of people are watching them, afraid of being assessed by their classmates in front of the class, having low self-confidence. Furthermore, considering a crucial role of lecturer in improving oral presentation skills, this study also discovered that lecturer has to show learners videos of good speakers for enhancing their presentation skills and lecturer has to give learners freedom to choose their own topics that lower their anxiety. It is hoped that the ideas discussed will provide the learners and lecturers with basic guidelines of how to improve the learners' oral presentation and assist learners to work their way out of anxiety.

Context: College campuses in the United States are currently engaged in public and ongoing negotiation of the value and limits of free speech in educational contexts. Responses to invited campus speakers from students, faculty, and campus leaders point to diverging perspectives on the roles and responsibilities of higher education institutions and their members as communities of inquiry. Considering these perspectives raises questions about the epistemic aims of colleges and universities. Purpose: The purpose of this article is to investigate perspectives on the ethics of inquiry and on the value and demands of open-mindedness in higher education. Specifically, I examined one case of an invited campus speaker who sparked considerable debate--Charles Murray's invited talk at Middlebury College in 2017. Research Design: This study employs the methods of empirically engaged philosophy, a philosophical approach to inquiry that engages with empirical evidence in considering educational aims and implications for institutional structures and policies. I apply conceptual tools stemming from the philosophical theories of knowledge and justice to a thematic content analysis of public statements made by faculty, administrators, and students in the Middlebury case. Conclusions or Recommendations: Through analysis of this campus speaker case, I observed two alternative perspectives on the ethics of inquiry--rational individualism and just collectivism. These two perspectives shared a number of common commitments, including the importance of cultivation of the mind as a primary aim in higher education; the value of open-mindedness, debate, and protest in the pursuit of truth; and the importance of justice, equality, and inclusion. They diverged in their epistemic orientations (individual vs. collective responsibility), their views on the proper bounds of open debate within an institution oriented toward truth-seeking, and what virtuous open-mindedness requires of individuals and collectives. This study contributes to a contemporary understanding of the unique ethical responsibilities of colleges and universities as inquiring organizations, whose members may hold divergent epistemological orientations. By investigating the relationship between open-mindedness, inquiry, and justice in contemporary public discourse in higher education, this study addresses a need for deeper engagement with the philosophical foundations of higher education.

The multidisciplinary nature of English language courses prompts teachers and students to pursue meaningful tasks that delve on significant issues in society. One significant project that classes can develop are advocacy presentations that help stimulate awareness and engagement among different stakeholders. This practical paper presents three lessons for online ESL classes in providing students' skills needed in developing advocacy presentations incorporating sustainable development goals. Specifically, the lessons focus on formulating an advocacy presentation through a conceptual plan, infographic design and video presentation. In terms of technology, the lessons are facilitated using "Canvas," "Google Docs," "Canva" and "Zoom" to develop, implement, and evaluate advocacy presentations made by students. Since English language education demands learners to be responsive to the needs of communities where they belong, advocacy presentations through the help of other members of the community and technology can maximize opportunities for engagement in understanding the impact of sustainable development goals in different aspects of life.

The aim of this research is to examine the pre-service teachers' opinions on online assessment during the COVID-19 process. In the study, which was designed with a phenomenological design, data were collected from 138 teacher candidates with a structured interview form consisting of open-ended questions created by the researchers and analyzed by content analysis. According to the findings of the study, the pre-service teachers stated that they were evaluated by methods such as online exam, homework, online class participation, and online presentation and that each evaluation method had advantages and disadvantages. When the teacher candidates compared face-to-face assessment with online assessment, they focused on the disadvantages of homework and online exams. They indicated that the online assessment method could be in the form of online exam, qualified homework, and participation in the course, depending on the nature of the course. The findings were discussed within the framework of the literature, and suggestions were presented to researchers and practitioners.

This study investigated students' perceptions of speaking English in front of the class versus speaking English via self-recorded videos posted on a private Facebook group. In Thailand, most Thai students are shy and have less confidence in speaking English. Providing them with a new type of practicing English might encourage them to have more confidence when speaking English. The research methods for this study included distributing questionnaires, conducting semi-structured interviews, and making observations. The data were collected from an English classroom at a government university in Northeastern Thailand and via the course's private Facebook group. Second-year undergraduate students who enrolled in the 'Communicative English for Tourism Industry 2' course participated in this study. The results revealed that most students preferred speaking English via self-recorded videos posted on the private Facebook group as opposed to speaking English in front of the class. They gave various reasons such as gaining more confidence, feeling more relaxed, having more fun, and experiencing learner autonomy. Thus, using self-recorded videos posted on the private Facebook group can be an alternative English teaching and learning tool for English classes in order to enhance students' confidence in speaking English.

The main purpose of speaking education is to enable individuals to express their thoughts accurately and effectively in every environment they communicate. This is possible with the teaching plan and measurement tools for different speech types. This research focuses on students' persuasive speaking skills. In this study, we aimed to develop a rubric to evaluate the persuasive speaking skills of primary school fourth grade students in Turkish. The research was designed with a quantitative research method and survey design. The study group consists of 100 students studying in the fourth grade of primary school. A convenience sampling technique was used to determine the study group. The study data were collected in five weeks through the students' plan papers and persuasive speech video recordings. In this process, students were asked to choose one of the topic suggestions for persuasive speeches and to plan and present their speeches. The collected data were evaluated by two raters using a rubric prepared by consulting expert opinion. The evaluation results were analysed, and a valid and reliable rubric was created. It was decided that the rubric would consist of fourteen categories, including "planning", "attracting attention", "expressing the problem situation", "expressing the solution", "visualisation", "directing to action", "supporting and justifying thoughts", "appealing to emotions", "subject integrity", "starting and ending a conversation", "voice utilisation", "fluency", "body language" and "use of time" and three achievement levels as "high", "medium" and "low". The developed rubric can be used in lessons by primary school fourth grade teachers.

Rhetoric plays an important role in helping information technology (IT) professionals communicate their ideas clearly and effectively. By employing rhetorical devices when speaking about technology topics, IT professionals can present logical and convincing arguments, and demonstrate their knowledge and expertise while engaging the audience and making complex technical concepts more accessible for non-experts. This study attempts to understand how IT students construct and develop persuasive arguments by analysing their use of rhetorical strategies in a sample of persuasive presentations delivered in the course "English for IT". Both corpus analysis and manual analysis were used to identify different types of rhetorical strategies students employed to influence their audiences' attitudes. The results show that IT students not only created a logical appeal which might be more natural for them but also employed a wide range of rhetorical strategies and devices to establish disciplinary credibility and create a more personal connection with their audience, thus maintaining an appropriate balance of logos, ethos and pathos. The study further recommends systematic and careful rhetorical analysis of ESP (English for specific purposes) students' spoken language across disciplines and the consequent adaption of learning materials and teaching methods to improve ESP students' rhetoric skills.

Technology has been shown to reduce students' public speaking anxiety, enhance their delivery skills, and increase presentation self-efficacy. However, students can only garner benefits if technology designed for improving public speaking skills has been adopted and implemented. This study aims to analyze the relationship between students' communication competence, perceived technology features, technology satisfaction, and intention to use technology designed for improving public speaking. In addition, we examined instructors' insights into incorporating such technologies for public speaking into classrooms. Based on the technology acceptance model (TAM), the study focuses on decision-making surrounding the adoption of two technologies for public speaking (a video-based technology that facilitates real-time feedback from humans, and an AI-based technology for automatic feedback) in a Hispanic-Serving Institution. A quantitative survey with students (n = 80) and a qualitative survey with instructors (n = 11) were conducted. Findings of a path analysis indicate that students with lower levels of competence in communication tended to find public speaking technologies more useful. Moreover, students' perceived technology usefulness and ease of use were positively associated with intentions of future technology use through technology satisfaction. Additionally, a qualitative analysis of instructors' responses revealed that technologies could be helpful for teaching public speaking if they assist rather than replace instructors in offering feedback.

Anxiety has a significant effect on oral communication, particularly when it occurs in the form of a public address. The quality of a public academic speaker's oral presentation may highly be determined by a variety of emotive elements. However, this has received much too little attention in the realm of academic dissertation oral defense presentations, despite the fact that this process may be incredibly nerve-wracking for both novice and experienced postgraduates, EFL learners in particular. In the current study, 68 Chinese EFL Ph.D. candidates consented to complete a revamped version of the Personal Report of Public Speaking Anxiety (PRPSA). Chinese EFL postgraduates reported an average high level of public speaking anxiety (X=4.34) during their doctoral dissertation defense presentations, as measured by three categorical variables: public speaking apprehension (X=4.40), self-behavior management (X=4.35), and fear of negative evaluation (X=4.26). Throughout Ph.D. candidate participants' dissertation defense, fifteen anxiety-related questionnaire items were recognized to be the most anxiety-provoking conditions in terms of public speaking anxiety. In addition, differences in gender and graduate study specialization were not significantly associated with Chinese EFL Ph.D. candidates' experiences with public speaking anxiety. Despite the findings, research has revealed that Ph.D. candidates in English as a Foreign Language from China exhibit statistically significant levels of anxiety related to public speaking, and as a result, pedagogical recommendations have been proposed.

Traditional academic communication practices tend to be jargon-heavy jargon and lack public relatability. Thus, it is paramount that scientists learn to develop effective communication skills. The Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition is one avenue to refine and build science communications skills. Using one static slide as a visual supplement, competitors have three minutes to explain their research goals and relevance through easily comprehended vernacular. Using an observation protocol including three criteria: presentation framing, verbal, and non-verbal communication, we identified characteristics of prior successful 3MT presentations. We also tested the identified characteristics by observing 15 local 3MT presentations and found that all successful presentations contained similar communication patterns. For example, we found that using storytelling frames resulted in the most compelling and successful presentations. Our study offers implications on how these identified characteristics can be used to help budding scientists build critical communication skills for sharing their research with non-scientists. Scientists can apply our outcomes to build effective presentations and successfully deliver science messages helping create a more informed public.

Prior research has underscored the advantages of online peer feedback in language learning. However, there is a paucity of research that specifically investigates the use of mobile technologies for providing peer feedback for English as a foreign language (EFL) speakers' oral presentation performances. The present study aims to examine the types and targets of peer feedback provided by EFL speakers, along with their views and experiences with mobile-assisted peer feedback. A total of thirty-two university students, enrolled in an upper-intermediate to advanced-level rhetoric and oral communication class, used an online platform to anonymously provide feedback on their classmates' oral presentations over a four-week period. Additionally, the participants completed a post-study survey to assess their perspectives and experiences. The findings indicated that the students' feedback predominantly comprised positive remarks than negative critiques. The primary aspects covered by both forms of feedback comprised three major areas: presentation content, spoken performance, and oral presentation skills. Survey results also revealed that, despite expressing concerns about potential friendship bias, anonymity, and issues related to lack of proper attitude in the expression of feedback, EFL speakers generally viewed mobile-based peer feedback positively.

By utilizing a massive corpus of textual data, large language models can generate unique human-like outputs to questions and interact with users in a natural conversational way. ChatGPT is one such platform, and since it emerged into the public consciousness in November 2022, it has generated both excitement and concern among educators. A growing body of scholarship has considered the pedagogical use of ChatGPT and its ability to enhance teachers' roles (e.g., Kohnke et al., 2023; Rudolph et al., 2023). Scholars have also raised concerns about ChatGPT's impact on academic integrity and scholarly publishing (Teng, 2023). Nonetheless, AI has existed for some time (Holmes & Tuomi, 2022) and, rather than a beginning of the end of education, it may guide educators into an era of pedagogical innovation (Heaven, 2023). In this paper, we explore the role of ChatGPT in English Language Teaching (ELT). We first provide background information about ChatGPT and its functions. We then draw from literature to describe current thinking on its benefits and challenges then describe how we have experimented with ChatGPT at our own university. We conclude by discussing implications for using ChatGPT in ELT and offering recommendations for future directions in teaching and research.

This study aims to investigate preservice English teachers' motivations for choosing the teaching career, and their student burnout levels. The correlation between these variables, and the participants' perspectives about student burnout reasons in English Language Teaching departments were examined. The sample consisted of 466 preservice English teachers at two different state universities in Türkiye. This study adopted a concurrent mixed method study design, and the data were gathered via a questionnaire, an inventory, and a structured interview. The quantitative data were analyzed through descriptive and correlation analyses, while qualitative data were subjected to qualitative content analysis. The findings suggested that the participants' most frequent motivations for choosing the teaching career were intrinsic motivations, yet their burnout levels were high. The participants' career motivations correlated negatively with their burnout levels. Participants mostly reported assignments, difficulty of courses, and oral presentations as their burnout reasons. At the end of this paper, the individuals desiring to study ELT were recommended to have strong motivations to study ELT and be aware of its heavy workload.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of online speaking tasks (OST) on the English communication ability of Thai EFL undergraduates. The study further examined students' perspectives toward online oral presentation tasks. A questionnaire translated into the participants' native language was utilized and distributed to collect data during the pandemic. The data were analyzed and interpreted using descriptive statistics, t-tests, and exploratory factor analysis (EFA). Four hundred and eighty-two students from Prince of Songkla University and Walailak University participated in this study. The study reveals that the use of technology is key to improving students' English communication skills. Discourse analysis further showed that oral presentation tasks helped students improve their English communication skills. Pronunciation activity was the most difficult task students faced. It is strongly recommended that online learning through technology could be incorporated to complement the in-person learning environment.

The study aims to investigate the English presentation self-efficacy of ESP undergraduate students through a longitudinal-experimental research design. Rooted in Bandura's social cognitive theory, it addresses two research problems: how Indonesian ESP undergraduate students' English presentation self-efficacy developed when they were exposed to mastery experience in the form of presentation tasks, and how individual and group presentation tasks affected the English presentation self-efficacy development. Three groups of ESP undergraduate students (n = 107) taking ESP English for Management were purposively selected as the participants for the study. Each group was exposed to one of the three forms of interventions: individual presentation tasks, homogeneous-group presentation tasks, and heterogeneous-group presentation tasks. A Likert-type presentation self-efficacy questionnaire validated by exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was utilized to collect the data in Weeks 3, 8, 12, and 16 of the semester. The study found that the Indonesian ESP undergraduate students' English presentation self-efficacy developed significantly as they completed the presentation tasks. The homogeneous-group presentation task outperformed both the heterogeneous-group and individual presentation tasks in enhancing English presentation self-efficacy. Implications for the teaching practices, study limitations, and future research recommendations are presented.

This study aims to examine Turkish language and literature and Turkish teacher candidates' tendencies towards digital speech. In this context, participants' digital speech tendencies were analyzed in terms of various variables. These variables include gender, the department they study at the university, whether they have previously participated in an online meeting or program as a speaker, social media use, whether they have taken a course on "communication, effective communication, human relations and communication, oral expression, speech training", and digital speech skills. Variables include having prior knowledge, preferring face-to-face communication, preferring speaking, and preferring online/distance communication. The research was conducted on a total of 296 teacher candidates (231 female, 65 males) studying at a university in eastern Turkey. The study was conducted in the survey model. According to the results of the research, teacher candidates' digital speech tendencies were determined in terms of variables such as department, having previously participated in an online meeting as a speaker, using social media applications, having taken undergraduate-level communication, effective communication, human relations and communication, oral expression, speaking training" courses. However, significant differences were found in terms of some variables such as gender, level of knowledge about digital speech, preference for face-to-face communication and speaking, and preference for online and distance communication. In addition, it was determined that 80% of the teacher candidates had a medium level of digital speech tendencies. These results provide an important perspective for better understanding and developing the digital speech tendencies of teacher candidates.

This longitudinal study examined the relationship between two content formats of the basic communication course (BCC) and first-year college student retention over a 4-year period (N = 5,653). Chi-square and logistic regression models indicated students who completed the BCC were more likely to be retained than those who did not complete the BCC. While completing the BCC was associated with retention for both formats, the hybrid BCC was more consistently related to retention than the public speaking BCC. Students from certain demographic groups who completed the hybrid BCC were retained more frequently than students from the same demographic who did not complete the hybrid BCC. Demographics for the public speaking BCC revealed a different retention profile. Implications and future directions concerning the BCC are discussed.

To unlock language proficiency among learners, speaking is regarded to be an essential and crucial aspect to master, not only for learning purposes but for recognized communication dynamics. Language learning has numerous critical aspects. To be lacking in speaking proficiencies has been noted to impart negatively toward language learning. This paper explores whether oral presentations can be regarded as a vital tool to unlock learner language development. To collect data, qualitative research approaches embedded in a case study design were used. These are methods well known to assist in attaining better understanding in real-life situations. Three English language teachers were perceived relevant since they teach English to first-year university students. Although studies have been conducted on advantages of using oral tasks in a schooling environment, little to nothing is mentioned in the literature about how such tasks can be viable instruments to augment critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Findings suggest that motivated learning and enhanced communication skills were major factors that could lead to enhanced language aptitudes. This paper concludes that for teaching and learning to incorporate oral tasks brings numerous benefits for language learning as well as other subjects underpinning the prescribed curriculum. It is proposed that it is necessary to consider diverse perspectives in discussions related to teaching methods as oral activities are prominent tools for language expansion.

Blended learning environments appear in many forms and include a variety of models with differing instructional resources. Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are one of the primary asynchronous learning management systems used to teach the English language. This study's objectives were to identify student learning achievement in a blended learning course incorporating a MOOC in terms of learners' (1) knowledge of the English language for presentations and (2) presentation skills. Thirteen graduate students of multiple disciplines participated in this study. Pre- and post-tests of content knowledge were administered, and a non-parametric Wilcoxon signed-rank t-test was used to compare pretest and posttest scores. An analytical rubric was used to assess/evaluate learners' presentation skills. The findings were that 1) the posttest scores were significantly higher than the pretest scores at the p = 0.001 level, and 2) as regards presentation skills, among seven components tested, the highest average scores were for visual and introduction components, while scores for delivery and pronunciation components were the lowest. To conclude, the blended learning model developed in this case study proved valuable in enhancing knowledge of the English language for presentations. Nonetheless, rehearsal and other methods like self-reflection based on video recordings should be integrated to strengthen their delivery and pronunciation.

Studies show English language learners (ELLs) experience increased communication apprehension and foreign language anxiety more than primary English speakers. Strategies to better assist ELLs with their public speaking skills are needed, especially within communication centers. One way is to better understand the intercultural aspects of the ELL student population on specific university campuses. Using foreign language pedagogy, this article explores best practices for communication center tutors working with ELL clients. Communication centers can use this information to assess traditional tutoring models and examine how their center meets the needs of this student population. The authors argue for an organizational structure of support and inclusivity, which may be achieved with a stronger emphasis on intercultural competency, including ways to address proficiency levels and practice cultural empathy. With proper support, communication consultants can achieve intercultural communicative competence and intercultural citizenship.

The aim of this exploratory practice research was to gain a better understanding of how tertiary education English as a foreign language (EFL) learners perceive oral presentations (OPs) in the formative assessment of their speaking skills. Participants were 150 pre-service teachers of primary education from the Higher Institute of Social Sciences and Education of Gafsa (HISSEG), Tunisia. Data were collected through a questionnaire and analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively. Results revealed that participants showed a positive attitude towards oral presentation (OP) assessment, viewing it as useful in enhancing their speaking abilities and self-reflection and self-assessment skills. They also appreciated teacher feedback. In addition, they demonstrated a relatively high awareness of the purposes of OP assessment. However, participants had moderate awareness of the assessment criteria and low perception of peer feedback. Further interventions are needed to reinforce the strengths and address the inadequacies of OPs as a tool of formative assessment.

This article communicates a methodology for and benefits of including online student presentations in an on-campus research symposium named Scholar Day at A (SDA). The authors provide an account of how SDA was structured to allow participation of online students; and how, during an aggressive outbreak of COVID-19 in the Spring of 2020, the event was shifted online. Student feedback was collected in both quantitative and qualitative formats. Data suggest students were satisfied with the events and felt SDA accomplished the primary goal, "to highlight the scholarly work of LSUA students." The method of including online students was refined in each of the three years to identify the most effective model of inclusion for online students. The authors conclude that, while there are challenges to accommodating online student presentations, the benefits of their inclusion are far greater both to the participating students and to the larger campus community.

This article is intended for both the teachers involved in the professional training of pre-service teachers, as well as the pre-service teachers. The professionalism of the teacher is determined by several factors. An essential factor in this context is the competence of public speaking. The efficiency of public speaking is determined by the quality of the three dimensions: ethos, pathos, logos. This article reflects epistemological landmarks in the development of logos. The Logos appeals to the rational part of the public mind and provides support for assimilating the essence of the subject expounded by argument. Therefore, the development of the Logos is a continuous process that involves the elaboration of oratorical speeches based on arguments. In this context, the purpose of the research is testing the students' level of logos on the development of the skills to build arguments in oratory speeches based on a logical structure. The sample consisted of 50 pre-service teachers from the Faculty of Psychology, Educational Sciences, Sociology, and Social Work at Moldova State University. The students filled a questionnaire consisting of 10 items that cover some basic aspects of logos. The data reveals that the respondents are partially aware of the structure of a public speech. At the same time, students are convinced of the necessity to use arguments in discourse but are unaware of or incorrectly identify the elements of argumentation in a text. Thus, we infer the necessity to develop argument-building skills in public speaking based on a logical argumentative structure for students.

The use of guest speakers in college classes is a well-accepted pedagogical practice, but the academic literature has generally been based on instructors' or event organizers' anecdotal reflections about individual experiences. Research based upon student considerations of this practice has been especially sparse. The purpose of this study is to explore student perceptions of guest speakers to determine what value students find in them. A qualitative survey was administered to 114 students, who answered questions about their prior experiences with and expectations of industry guest speakers. The results showed that 86.1% of respondents who had previously been enrolled in a college class that featured an industry guest speaker liked the experience, especially if the guest currently worked in a field related to course content, spoke enthusiastically and honestly, and answered questions. In particular, participants appreciated hearing insider information about the speaker's day-to-day work life, as well as advice for their own career paths. Recommendations are provided to university educators as guidance for improving student experiences and engagement with guest speakers, especially those from the fashion industry.

This paper is based on the first two iterations of the Twitter reenactment in "History 450: The Growth of Metropolitan Milwaukee," taught at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) in Fall 2020 and 2021. According to the authors, they did not come up with the Twitter reenactment as a pedagogical tool on their own. This paper describes the development and refinement of Twitter reenactments since 2009. The authors explain how they worked out the details of transforming what had been a volunteer activity into the core of a class. The authors conclude by examining some of the ethical and pedagogical questions raised by having students engage in a historical reenactment. According to the authors, historical reenactments can offer students an unusual opportunity to develop their historical thinking and share original research findings with a public audience.

Previous work suggested that sharing personal stories is effective for knowledge translation (KT) of the neuroscience of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) for a teacher audience. In the current study, we experimentally evaluated the impact of personal story and lived experience on a similar KT activity. We measured knowledge and attitudes about ADHD before and after our KT activity and used a factorial design to evaluate the impact of personal story (personalized versus depersonalized) and lived experience (presenter with versus without an ADHD diagnosis) with N = 14 to 24 per group. The presenter without an ADHD diagnosis was a neuroscience expert. All conditions were associated with increased attribution of ADHD symptoms to the brain. Speaker quality ratings were high, especially in the personalized + ADHD diagnosis condition and the depersonalized + no ADHD diagnosis condition. While incorporating lived experience is important for authentic KT, we demonstrated that the KT presenter themselves need not have lived experience to change pre-service teacher attitudes and beliefs. More work is needed to address the potential impacts of neuroscience expertise and other aspects of the presenters in our study.

The present two-phased sequential explanatory mixed-methods research investigates first and second-year Japanese university students' perceptions of peer evaluation through self-reflection and its relation to learner autonomy satisfaction in English presentation activities. First, the qualitative data were collected through an open-ended survey questionnaire (n = 17). The findings revealed that students held a positive view of the peer evaluation process, which was facilitated by structured evaluation criteria developed collaboratively with the students using the "Leaderful Classroom Practices" framework. Furthermore, students' ownership of the evaluation process enhanced their motivation and commitment to their own presentations. To explore the relationship between the peer evaluation process and students' autonomy satisfaction, we conducted a survey with advanced-level first-year English major students (n = 87). Despite the small sample size, our multiple regression analysis also supported the qualitative findings, indicating a significant correlation between peer evaluation and learner autonomy satisfaction in English presentation activities. While peer-based activities have been thoroughly studied in the context of academic writing courses, we recommend that the influence of peer evaluation activities on learner autonomy satisfaction be further explored in oral communication activities within the Japanese university EFL settings.

Trying to learn the names of students is a challenging semester ritual for many professors and graduate students. In support of this endeavor, research suggests that learning students' names promotes greater student participation and engagement (Auster and MacRone 1994; Pearson and Lucas 2011). However, both research and practical pedagogical advice has typically focused only on the importance of students believing that "instructors" know their names. Consequently, we know little about students feeling recognized by name by other students. To further explore this issue, this study analyzes both the predictors and outcomes of student name recognition. The results of the study underscore the value of instructors learning names, showing that the belief that an instructor knows one's name is linked with a lower likelihood of feeling nervous while speaking in class. Classroom characteristics were also linked with student experiences, with finding the class interesting and the more lecture-oriented class both being associated with students perceiving greater classroom community.