Improving public speaking in secondary education―Exploring the potential of an improvisation training

Abstract

Public speaking occupies a central position in secondary education, and often teachers introduce improvisation training to improve this competence, but it is yet unclear if this teaching approach has a beneficial impact. In this respect, this paper addresses the following research question: Does an improvisation training that focuses on eye-contact, voice, and body language have an impact on the public speaking competence of students in secondary education? In this study with a quasi-experimental design, we assessed the impact of the intervention with a control group with a pre-and posttest of a speaker's public speaking competence scored via compared judgement of videos of speaking exercises. The intervention had a significant but modest effect, but a number of important caveats need to be formulated. Age of participants, group size, and professionalism of the instructor might all partly determine the effect of such an improvisation training, but these variables were not integrated into the research design of this study.

Assessment of Oral Skills in Adolescents

“…We believe that the relationship between the TSOC scores and EI and metacomprehension not only provides the instrument with good evidence of construct validity, but also enables us to theorize about the relationships that exist between these three important variables for academic performance. The study by Wurth et al [ 81 ] introduced the possibility of determining the existence of causal relationships between regular oral language practice and self-confidence [ 82 , 88 , 92 , 93 , 94 ]. In our study, we also found significant correlations between competences traditionally associated with oral language, such as emotional intelligence and the self-regulation of reading comprehension.…”

A Reflexive Teacher: The Empathic Effect on the Teaching of Telling Chinese Stories Well

“…Undoubtedly, teachers are essential in successful English speech teaching, prompting extensive research on their approaches and mindset. Li et al [8] and Casteleyn [3] advocate diverse pedagogical methods, including the use of speech videos and improvisation training, to enhance students' speaking skills. Meanwhile, Tuspekova et al [15] and Yuan [20] focus on teachers' mindset.…”

Key elements of L1-oral language teaching and learning in secondary education. A literature review

“…In general, the authors try to give clarity about the mentioned content items. Casteleyn (2019) for example elaborates on the content of 'delivery' (meaning eye-contact, vocal delivery, enthusiasm, interaction with the audience, body language), referring to the description of De Grez, Valcke & Roozen (2009). Another example is Patiung et al (2015Patiung et al ( , p. 1094 who describe students have to learn to master 'the material; A good speaker seeks to master and learn the material to be conveyed.…”

“…It would be interesting to examine this. An effect study, for example, would make it possible to see what scientific value, if any, lies behind the claims made about cause-effect relations, such as regular practice in speaking and growth of self-confidence (Baxter, 2000;Casteleyn, 2018Casteleyn, , 2019Mercer et al, 2016 andOliver et al, 2005).…”