Perceptual Assessment of Coherence, Fluency, Voice Modulation, and Language Modulation in Public Speaking Performance

Abstract

Public speaking is a highly sought-after skill in the context of communication. Public speaking skills are taught academically to students. The purpose of this study is to analyze students' perceptual assessments of the contribution of coherence, fluency, vocal quality, and language proficiency in shaping public speaking performance. The research method used in this study is quantitative. The research subjects were four classes of speech courses for students of the Javanese Language Education Study Program, Yogyakarta State University. The instruments used were observation sheets and questionnaires. The instruments focused on four aspects of assessment, namely coherence, fluency, voice control, and language control. Data was collected through speech practice observation and questionnaire completion. The instruments were validated using intrarater techniques with peer discussions with five lecturers teaching speech courses, observation persistence, and extended participation. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and elaborated qualitatively. The results show that (1) all four variables—voice control, language control, fluency, and coherence—have a positive and significant contribution to speech quality; (2) coherence contributes 1.87, which is sufficient; fluency contributes 1.93, which is sufficient; voice training contributes 3.40, which is very high; and language training contributes 2.80, which is high; (3) voice control and language control are the dominant factors that determine students' public speaking skills; and (4) in terms of order, voice control (very high), language control (high), fluency and coherence (sufficient).