Abstract:

In this study, it was aimed to examine the effect of academic discussion model on 8th grade students' speech anxiety and verbal expression self-efficacy perceptions. Exploratory sequential design, one of the mixed research method designs, was used in the study. In this context, in the quantitative dimension of the research, "pre-test and post-test control group" quasi-experimental design; In the qualitative dimension, the phenomenological pattern was used. The study group of the research consists of 49 students. 24 of these students are in the experimental group and 25 are in the control group. The quantitative data of the study are based on the "Speech Anxiety Scale" developed by Gündüz (2020) and the "Verbal Expression Self-Efficacy Scale" developed by Demir (2020); Qualitative data were collected using the "Semi-Structured Interview Form" prepared by the researchers. In the quantitative data analysis of the study, using the SPSS 20 analysis program, t-Test and two-way ANOVA were performed; NVivo 12 analysis program was used for qualitative data analysis. According to the results of the research, it was observed that the students in the experimental group, who were taught with the academic discussion model, had a significant decrease in speaking anxiety, while their verbal expression self-efficacy perceptions increased significantly compared to the control group students who were taught with the current program. In addition, as a result of the interviews with the students, the students stated that after the lessons taught with this discussion model, their speaking self-confidence increased, their speech anxiety decreased, they were able to communicate stronger, they were more respectful to each other and they were able to speak effectively.

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