The Impact of Social Phobia on English Language Students from the Point of View of Cognitive Behavioral Theory (Published)
The purpose of this study is to explore the impact of social phobia on English language learners through the lens of cognitive behavioral theory (CBT). The researchers used the Al-Hanafi (2022) Social Anxiety Scale in a pilot study of 30 students from the Public Authority for Applied Education and Training Kuwait. Internal consistency and reliability were tested by Cronbach’s alpha. Randomly selected students (298) participated in an online survey that used the Social Phobia Scale. The results showed that the total mean was 32.7, the standard deviation was 12.2, and the percentage was 46, 8%. The impact of social phobia was medium because the sample tendency was “sometimes.” Some of the results from the lowest-rated items represented the students’ core beliefs. This study suggests using CBT to clarify the behavior of English students to prepare them for society and connect with other states.
Keywords: English Language, cognitive behavioral theory, negative automated thoughts, social phobia
Correlates of Social Phobia among Undergraduate Students in Universities in Rivers State (Published)
The prevailing level of social anxiety especially in Rivers State is on the increase and this has led to a number of issues including low self-esteem, poor emotional intelligence, poor communication, low performance in oral examination, quizzes and debates. Again, the lack of awareness on the part of the parents resulting in poor parental support not only heightens social anxiety among students but makes the problem complex. Hence, the current study focused on correlates of social phobia among undergraduates in Universities in Rivers State. Correlational research design was used in the study. The population consisted of 84,000 undergraduates in three Universities in Rivers State. A sample of 509 respondents drawn using multi-stage sampling procedure used in the study. Four instruments including Emotional Intelligence Scale (EIS) Students Self-concept Questionnaire (SSCQ) as the Social Anxiety Scale (SAS) were used for the study. The reliability coefficient values were 0.81, 0.70, 0.71, and 0.79 respectively. Simple regression was used to analize the data collected. Result showed that EI (p=0.034<0.05), self-concept (p=0.039<0.05) and self-efficacy (p=0.043<0.05) all had significant relationship with social phobia. Based on this, it was recommended among others that counselors, parent and teachers should help build good emotions skills in the students. They should not make them to be afraid neither should they make them to be timid as this to a great extent has significant influence on the extent which they can create social relationship.
Keywords: Depression, Emotional Intelligence, Self-Concept, social phobia