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Rousseau, Camille Xinmei

University of British Columbia

Public speaking anxiety (PSA) is a common form of social anxiety. Young students are prone to experiencing PSA, particularly as they reach puberty, yet there is a dearth of interventions designed to support these students. To address this gap, the overarching aim of this research was to conduct a series of studies that collectively inform the design and development of a canine-assisted public speaking pilot program for students with PSA in Grades 6 and 7, titled Pups Uplifting Public Speaking (P.U.P.S.). Study 1 sought to understand and identify how public speaking is situated in the classroom, vis-à-vis curricular expectations and target outcomes, and how students with PSA are supported by teachers. Three 1-hour focus groups with five participants each were conducted to glean insights from Grade 6 and Grade 7 teachers in British Columbia (BC). Study 2 explored the lived experiences of Grade 6 and Grade 7 students with PSA. Twelve students participated in a semi-structured interview to capture the strategies and supports that students with PSA lean on to address their PSA. Study 3 examined 13 dog handlers’ experiences volunteering in canine-assisted interventions (CAIs) for children. An online survey was administered to capture key considerations for the successful delivery of CAIs for children. Focus group discussions and semi-structured interviews were transcribed following which an inductive analytic approach was used to identify codes. Codes were winnowed into categories and subsequently collapsed into themes and subthemes. Salient themes and subthemes identified within each study are discussed. Findings from across the three studies collectively informed the identification of seven guiding principles for the P.U.P.S. pilot program: 1) Choice; 2) Community centric; 3) Fun and engaging; 4) Safety; 5) Structure and scaffolding; 6) Technology enhanced learning; and 7) Therapy dogs as a source of support. These principles are presented within the broader discussion of findings from across the three studies. The dissertation concludes with a presentation of the P.U.P.S. pilot program in Chapter 7.

Text

2024-02-02

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

http://hdl.handle.net/2429/87403

Interdisciplinary Studies

University of British Columbia

UBCO

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/