The Effect of Storytelling Skill Acquisition on the Impromptu Speaking Attitudes and Anxiety Levels of 6th Grade Students

Abstract

People’s attitudes and anxiety towards impromptu speaking can negatively affect their performance and can create speaking anxiety in them. The aim of this study is to find out whether there is a significant relationship between the acquisition of storytelling skills and the impromptu speaking attitudes and speaking anxieties of 6th grade students. The nested pattern of the mixed method was used in the research. In the quantitative part of the research, a one-group, pretest-posttest experimental model was employed. The quantitative data were collected by the ‘Speaking Skill Attitude Scale’. Paired samples t-test was used to determine whether the storytelling training given to the students had an effect on their speaking attitudes, and the Wilcoxon Signed Ranks test was used to determine whether it had an effect on their speaking anxiety. Qualitative data were also collected with student interview form and observation form. As the result of the research showed, the acquisition of storytelling was significantly associated with students’ impromptu speaking attitudes and anxiety levels. Therefore, it is important to provide students with the acquisition of storytelling to influence their attitudes and anxieties when delivering impromptu speeches.