Advisers

Christopher D. Azares, LPT

Discipline

Education

Abstract

This study investigated the level of confidence in public speaking and its relationship to academic engagement among Grade 12 Humanities and Social Sciences students at Bestlink College of the Philippines during the academic year 2025–2026. In today’s education system, communication and presentation skills are highly valued. Guided by Gerbino (2023), the rise of interactive learning and performance-based tasks requires students to increasingly participate in class reports, debates, oral defenses, and other public speaking activities. The study used a descriptive-quantitative research design involving one hundred twelve selected Grade 12 students. Data were collected using a survey questionnaire and analyzed through frequency, percentage, ranking, and weighted mean to describe confidence in public speaking and its relationship with academic engagement. Using outlines was the most commonly reported public-speaking strategy. Students reported greater confidence when they completed tasks independently, and higher public-speaking confidence was associated with more active class participation. Verbal encouragement was also perceived to support motivation and perseverance, while nervousness was the most commonly reported challenge. The findings indicate that mastery experiences, emotional support, and verbal encouragement were associated with students’ confidence in public speaking and academic engagement. The study recommends speech practice, group discussions, workshops, training sessions, and constructive feedback to strengthen communication skills. Because the design was descriptive and nonexperimental, the reported relationships should not be interpreted as causal.

Keywords

academic engagement, confidence, public speaking