Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Availability

Open Access Thesis

Keywords

Debates and debating--Judging; Forensics (Public speaking);

Abstract

This study sought to discover a relationship between competitor self-efficacy and judge perceptions of competitor self-efficacy in individual events speech competition. Specifically, measures of competitor self-efficacy and measures of judge perceptions of competitor self-efficacy were compared. The subjects for the study were collegiate individual events competitors and judges. Subjects were competing and judging in the events of sales speaking, prose interpretation and informative speaking. The study hypothesized that a positive significant correlation would exist between competitor self-efficacy and judge perception of that efficacy. This hypothesis was tested through administration of questionnaires to competitors and judges. These questionnaires were based on the original Physical Self-Efficacy Scale (PSE). Certain items were adapted to apply to the individual events speech situation. Competitor instruments measured competitor feelings of efficacy. Judge instruments measured judge perceptions of that efficacy for each individual competitor. In the test of the hypothesis, it was found that a significant positive relationship existed between competitor efficacy and judge perceptions. Hence, the hypothesis of the study was confirmed. Additional correlations were performed for each event. These results indicated that in prose interpretation, a significant positive correlation existed between competitor and judge perceptions of efficacy. Sales and informative speaking did not elicit similar results. Correlation of judge responses revealed high agreement between both judges in competitive rounds. Judge responses resulted in a significant positive correlation. Measures of task and situation-specific items on both judge and competitor questionnaires were found to correlate positively at a significant level. These task-specific items directly assessed efficacy expectations and perceptions regarding the particular round in progress. The study reveals that a positive correlation does exist between judges' and competitors' perceptions of competitor efficacy in individual events speech competition. Furthermore, this correlation is statistically significant. Implications for future research include (a) the generality of results to other competitive activities, (b) the extension of inquiry to actual performance success of individual events competitors, and (c) the need for replication to determine causal effects of judge and competitor perceptions.

Year of Submission

1988

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Department

Department of Communication and Theatre Arts

First Advisor

Bill Henderson

Second Advisor

Neil Phillips

Third Advisor

Sharon Huddleston

Comments

If you are the rightful copyright holder of this thesis and wish to have it removed from the Open Access Collection, please submit a request to scholarworks@uni.edu and include clear identification of the work, preferably with URL.

Date Original

1988

Object Description

1 PDF file (145 leaves)

Language

en

File Format

application/pdf

Included in

Communication Commons

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