虛擬實境(VR)是技術革新、眾人皆知且一般使用者也負擔得起的科技產品，依研究成果，它可用於公開演講練習及減少口語焦慮之應用(Anderson, Zimand, Hodges, & Rothbaum, 2005; Heuett & Heuett, 2011)。此外，根據先前的研究，頻繁的練習與專業指導可以幫助學生緩解他們的公開演講焦慮(Davis, Linvill, Hodges, Da Costa, & Lee, 2020)。然而，先前的研究顯示了一些局限性，例如：研究大多在實驗室進行；部份研究的治療過程相較短；部份研究沒有控制組；大多數研究使用高解析度和相對昂貴的VR進行實驗，導致參與者使用VR系統的彈性降低。因而本探索性研究從兩門大學部“公開演講”課程中招募了兩組學生，VR(實驗組)及非VR(控制組)兩組學生（N=35），並使用了可攜式VR讓學生在課後進行演講的演練。本研究目的如下：
1）瞭解VR演講練習能否降低參與者口語焦慮；
2）觀察VR演講練習能否提高參與者的口語能力；
3）探討參與者對於使用VR進行演講練習的看法。

本研究結果顯示，相較於非VR組， VR組之參與者在VR演講練習於降低口語焦慮並沒有顯著差異。此外，兩組參與者在演講表現方面也並無顯著差異。然而，個別組別分析中，VR組後測問卷的平均分數明顯低於前測，這表示他們的口語焦慮程度有顯著下降。最後，儘管有些參與者經歷了VR不適或一些技術問題，整體而言，參與者對VR演講練習表示正面及支持的看法。

Virtual reality (VR) is an innovative well-known, and affordable technology that can be used to practice public speaking and to reduce speech anxiety (Anderson, Zimand, Hodges, & Rothbaum, 2005; Heuett & Heuett, 2011). In addition, based on prior studies, frequent practice and instructions could help students ease their public speaking apprehension (Davis, Linvill, Hodges, Da Costa, & Lee, 2020).
However, previous studies have revealed some limitations: studies were conducted mostly in laboratories; some studies’ treatment sessions were short; some studies have no control group; and most studies conducted the experiment using high-resolution and expensive VR sets, causing less flexibility for participants to use the system by themselves. To address the above-mentioned gaps, this exploratory study recruited two groups of students (N=35), the VR group and non-VR group, from two sessions of a semester-long public speaking course using portable VR for participants to practice their speech beforehand out of class. The aims of the study were three-fold: 1) to understand if VR speech practice can reduce participants’ speaking anxiety; 2) to scrutinize if VR speech practice can improve participants’ speaking competence; and 3) to explore participants’ perceptions of using VR to practice public speaking.
Results showed that after the VR treatment, compared to the control group (non-VR group), the experimental group’s public speaking anxiety did not decrease significantly. In addition, a non-significant difference was found between the two groups in terms of their speech performances. However, within group analysis showed that the VR group had on average significantly lower scores in their post-test compared to their pre-test, indicating a decrease in their speech anxiety. Moreover, the VR group participants showed positive perceptions of VR speech practice, even though some of them experienced cybersickness, or some technical issues.

CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION 1
CHAPTER II LITERATURE REVIEW 4
2.1 Language Learning Anxiety 4
2.2 Development and Potential Source of Language Anxiety 6
2.3 Anxiety in a Foreign Language Context 8
2.4 Public Speaking Anxiety 9
2.5 Coping with Public Speaking Anxiety 10
Cognitive restructuring. 10
Systematic desensitization. 11
Skills training. 11
2.6 Virtual Reality 12
2.7 Application of Virtual Reality in Language Education 18
2.8 Application of Virtual Reality for Public Speaking Anxiety 20
Theme 1: Effect of a virtual environment on individuals’ speech anxiety. 28
Theme 2: Effect of virtual reality on reducing speech anxiety. 30
2.9 Review of Instruments for Language Anxiety/Speaking Anxiety 33
Personal Report of Communication Apprehension (PRCA-24). 35
Personal Report of Public Speaking Apprehension (PRPSA). 36
The Foreign Language Anxiety Scale (FLCAS). 36
EFL Public Speaking Class Anxiety Scale (PSCAS). 37
Self-Statements During Public Speaking (SSPS). 37
Oral proficiency assessment. 38
CHAPTER III RESEARCH METHOD 43
3. 1 Participants 43
3. 2 Treatments 46
3.2.1 Five in-class presentations. 46
3.2.2 VR group (experimental group) 48
3.2.3 Non-VR group (control group) 48
3.2.4 Important notification for participants. 49
3. 3 Research Procedures 50
Prior to treatment (training and pre-test). 51
Treatment sessions. 51
Post-treatment session (interview and post-test). 52
3. 4 Virtual Reality Training 52
3.4.1 Setting up the VR goggles. 52
3.4.2 Installing and beginning to use the VR speech app. 54
3. 5 Data Collection 59
3.5.1 Quantitative data – Instruments. 59
3.2.2 Qualitative data – Semi-structured interview. 66
3.5.3 Other Data 66
3.6 Brief Summary of the research methodology 68
3.7 Data analysis 68
CHAPTER IV RESULTS 70
4.1 RQ1 - To what extent does VR decrease public speaking anxiety? 71
Comparing the VR Group’s Pre- and test Post-test 74
Comparing the non-VR Group’s Pre- and Post-test 75
4.2 RQ2 - Does VR increase/improve public speaking competence? 76
4.3 RQ3 - What are participants’ perceptions of the use of VR for practicing giving speeches? 82
4.3.1 Participants’ previous experiences of virtual reality 83
4.3.2 Participants’ experiences of the VR speech practice 84
4.3.3 Participants’ suggestions regarding the use of VR in speech practice 91
4.3.4 Summary 96
CHAPTER V DISCUSSION AND LIMITATIONS 97
5.1 To what extent does VR decrease public speaking anxiety? 97
5.2 Does VR increase public speaking competence? 100
5.3 What are the participants’ perceptions of using VR to practice a speech? 103
5.4 Implications for teaching and learning 104
5.5 Limitations of the study 106
References 108
Appendices 116
Appendix A Susan Dugdale’s Public speaking scale (30 scoring items) 117
Appendix B Self-Statements During Public Speaking Scale (SSPS) 118
Appendix C The Public Speaking Class Anxiety Scale (PSCAS) – original version 119
PSCAS translated into Chinese 119
Appendix D Susan Dugdale’s Public speaking scale - Description of Performance Standards 121
Appendix E Semi-structured Interview Questions 124

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