PhD Oral Exam - Anamaria Bodea, Education

When studying for a doctoral degree (PhD), candidates submit a thesis that provides a critical review of the current state of knowledge of the thesis subject as well as the student’s own contributions to the subject. The distinguishing criterion of doctoral graduate research is a significant and original contribution to knowledge.

Once accepted, the candidate presents the thesis orally. This oral exam is open to the public.

Abstract

Speaking anxiety, an intense fear of judgment in communicative contexts, is a common emotion experienced by university students which negatively contributes to students’ performance and wellbeing for both first language (L1) and second language (L2) speakers. Although the negative outcomes of speaking anxiety are clear, the processes which contribute to anxiety remain unexplored, particularly those stemming from speakers’ socio-evaluative concerns such as metaperceptions (assumptions people make about how others view them). This dissertation addresses this gap by investigating students’ experiences with speaking anxiety in relation to metaperceptions.

Study 1 examined students’ speaking anxiety, metaperceptions, and evaluator-assessed performance during a speaking task. L1 (25) and L2 (25) engineering university students gave a 5-minute talk on a common engineering topic, and their presentation was assessed by two in-person evaluators. Both student groups underestimated their performances relative to the assessments received. Students’ metaperceptions were negatively associated with speaking anxiety, but neither metaperception nor speaking anxiety predicted evaluator-assessed performance, with similar trends for both language groups.

Study 2 qualitatively explored students’ experiences with speaking anxiety and metaperceptions during the speaking task. Twenty speakers selected from Study 1 (10 L1 and 10 L2) participated in two interviews targeting their perceptions: a stimulated recall through video-recordings of students’ presentation and a retrospective interview. Both L1 and L2 students reported internally focused negative cues and generated metaperceptions based on the impressions of their evaluators’ feedback and characteristics. Students’ metaperceptions were associated with their affective states and their perceived performances, with L2 students revealing more intense subjective experiences.