Glossophobia in postgraduate degrees. Online public speaking in times of Covid-19

ABSTRACT

This study focuses on the fear of public speaking, or glossophobia, among postgraduate students in Spain. The main objective is to evaluate the levels of glossophobia in this group, with special attention paid to online public speaking. COVID-19 has forced the online performance of multiple academic activities, including the defence of Master's Theses (MT). A mixed research method (qualitative-quantitative) has been employed by means of a survey (500 responses) of the student body conducted at the time of presentation of their MT (June-July 2020). Fifteen experts had previously validated the questionnaire. The resulting Cronbach's coefficient alpha, which measures its reliability, was 0.82. The main result is that the vast majority of the group is aware of their oratorical weakness. Almost all show interest in improving this competence and consider that presenting the MT has been the greatest speaking challenge in their lives. Among the main conclusions, the need to introduce specific training in public speaking in the students' curriculum stands out. It should be included in the curriculum of postgraduate programs, regardless of their specialty, with particular emphasis on online interactions. Glossophobia has been shown to be transversal and affects all types of students. The proposal made herein is currently non-existent in Spain.