Exploring Principals’, Teachers’, And Students’ Perceptions Of Public Speaking Practices At Public Schools In Baku

This research examines the perceptions of students, teachers, and school principals
regarding the importance of public speaking practices in public schools in Baku. It also
explores potential actions that school principals can take to raise awareness about these
practices. The research participants are three school principals, eight Azerbaijani and
Language teachers and 22 students from 6th to 9th grade. Semi-structured interviews are
conducted with school principals, and focus group discussions are carried out with teachers
and students. The study examines the students', teachers’ and principals’ viewpoints on the
relevance of public speaking skills in students' current and future lives, particularly in terms
of their careers and effective communication. The findings indicated that students encounter
difficulties such as panic, anxiety, fear of failure, word confusion, and shyness when
speaking in public. Furthermore, the research provides suggestions which are given from
students, teachers, and school principals to raise awareness on public speaking practices in
public schools. The study highlights the significance of extracurricular activities such as
public speaking clubs, oral competitions, and discussions on movies or books. By
incorporating these activities into the school curriculum, students can enhance their public
speaking abilities. Considering the findings of the study, a workshop called “Public
speaking strategies and assessment criteria” has been conducted at one of the public schools
in which the data was gathered. The purpose of this workshop was to increase awareness
among principals, teachers, and students regarding the importance of public speaking
practices by providing participants essential public speaking strategies and offer Azerbaijani
Language and Literature teachers guidance on evaluating students' proficiency in various
public speaking techniques.