Problems Encountered by Freshmen in Their Survival in Public Speaking in English Language Education Program in UKSW

Abstract

This study’s purpose is to find out about what problems were encountered by freshmen in their survival in Public Speaking. The participants of this research were the freshmen in the Faculty of Language and Art. The participants of this study were selected through random sampling which gained using all the freshmen’s opinion by filling questionnaires. The data collection for this study used a qualitative method and results of this study were taken from close-ended and open-ended questionnaires. The result of the study showed that majority freshmen in FLA-PBI UKSW confronted varied problems and difficulties related to their public speaking improvement and adjustment to their first year of college. Based on freshmen’s experiences, the freshmen stated that they confronted some difficulties such as culture differences, Public Speaking Anxiety, and freshmen’s background of English knowledge. From this study, freshmen in English Departments are expected to benefit this study for their reference and for research material.