Technology-Enhanced Public Speaking Pedagogy and Students’ Critical Thinking Self-Perception in Higher Education

Abstract

In contemporary higher education, critical thinking has become an essential competence for students who must navigate complex academic, professional, and digital environments. Public speaking courses offer a pedagogical space where students are required not only to communicate ideas but also to analyze information, organize arguments, respond to audience feedback, and evaluate the credibility of evidence. In the context of technology-enhanced learning, public speaking can be further strengthened through digital resources, reflective feedback, recorded performances, and information-verification practices. This study investigates students’ self-perception of critical thinking development after participating in a public speaking course at the tertiary level. Using a descriptive quantitative design, data were collected from 157 English Department students at Universitas Pamulang who had completed a public speaking course. A 25-item questionnaire was used to examine five critical thinking dimensions: curiosity, open-mindedness, metacognition, adaptive reasoning, and digital information literacy. The findings indicate that public speaking activities moderately support students’ critical thinking development, particularly in metacognitive awareness, audience adaptation, and reflective response. However, lower scores were found in students’ confidence to challenge dominant perspectives and verify the credibility of sources. These findings suggest that public speaking pedagogy should move beyond oral performance and incorporate explicit critical thinking instruction, structured digital feedback, source evaluation, and reflective learning practices. The study contributes to innovative educational pedagogy by positioning public speaking as a technology-enhanced learning practice that supports critical communication, digital literacy, and lifelong learning readiness.