Skewed Self-Estimations of Speaking Performance and Video Feedback: How Students See Themselves on Video

• In Event: Narratives, Self-Presentation, and Cheating: From Edutainment to Lying in the Classroom

Abstract

Basic communication courses require both informative and persuasive speeches as part of their course design for student speechmaking. Video captures speaking performances then is utilized for student self-evaluation. Use of video in the basic communication course became prominent in the 1970s and continues to be utilized presently. We estimated students’ perception of their presentation after viewing their performances and answering self-evaluation criteria. We generated composite scores that assessed the difference between students’ estimated earned grade minus their actual grade earned for both speeches. These composite score resulted in three estimator forms: under-estimators, accurate-estimators, or over-estimators. We found that the majority of students were over estimators. We then applied the Meaning Extraction Method (MEH) used to generate specific themes generated in speech self-evaluations based on their estimator type. We found that under estimators generated twelve themes and accurate and over estimators generated ten themes. Additionally, the under and accurate estimators’ themes were more specific and detailed than over estimators describing the similar speechmaking components. These findings illustrate how students estimate their public speaking performance differently based on their perceived public speaking capability.

Authors

• Luke LeFebvre, Iowa State U

• Leah LeFebvre, U of Wyoming

• Kate Blackburn