The Development and Test of the Public Speaking Competence Rubric

Abstract

In response to the demand for increased accountability within the university classroom, there have been calls for a new generation of rubrics that effectively assess students' competence in several areas, including public speaking. This article describes the development, test, and factor analyses of the Public Speaking Competence Rubric (PSCR), an 11-item descriptive rubric designed to be comprehensible to audiences both inside and outside the communication discipline. Study 1, which involved an assessment by five coders of 45 speeches, revealed a complex factor structure and a need to clarify two of the items. Study 2, in which three undergraduate students and one communication faculty person coded 50 speeches, revealed a relatively simple three-factor solution. Comparison of PSCR scores with student speech grades also supported the measure's predictive validity. The last part of the paper describes the potential pedagogical and assessment applications for the PSCR, the limitations of the study, and directions for future research. Overall, the PSCR appears to be a consistent and accurate measure of public speaking ability.

Keywords:

• Public Speaking
• Speech
• Competence
• Effectiveness
• Assessment
• Rubric
• Pedagogy

Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank Jennifer Wood, Adam Lawrence, Marjorie Warmkessel, Morgan Hartranft, Nash Doud, and Burns Foster, for their assistance with this research project. The authors also wish to thank the two anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments and suggestions

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Lisa M. Schreiber

Lisa Schreiber (Ph.D. University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2002) is Assistant Professor of Communication at Millersville University

Gregory D. Paul

Gregory Paul (Ph.D. Texas A&M, 2009) is Assistant Professor of Communication at Millersville University

Lisa R. Shibley

Lisa R. Shibley (Ph.D. Penn State, 2004) is the Assistant Vice President of Institutional Advancement and Planning at Millersville University