IJIET 2026 Vol.16(8): 2079-2090
doi: 10.18178/ijiet.2026.16.8.2668
doi: 10.18178/ijiet.2026.16.8.2668
Next-generation Virtual Exposure Technology for Public Speaker Social Anxiety Reduction in Gen Z Learners
Sumitra Nuanmeesri *, Lap Poomhiran, Shutchapol Chopvitayakun, and Preedawon Kadmateekarun
Department of Information Technology, Faculty of Science and Technology, Suan Sunandha Rajabhat University, Bangkok, Thailand
Email: sumitra.nu@ssru.ac.th (S.N.); lap.po@ssru.ac.th (L.P.); shutchapol.ch@ssru.ac.th (S.C.); preedawan.ka@ssru.ac.th (P.K.)
*Corresponding author
Email: sumitra.nu@ssru.ac.th (S.N.); lap.po@ssru.ac.th (L.P.); shutchapol.ch@ssru.ac.th (S.C.); preedawan.ka@ssru.ac.th (P.K.)
*Corresponding author
Manuscript received November 28, 2025; revised January 14, 2026; accepted March 12, 2026; published August 12, 2026
Abstract—Public speaking anxiety among Gen Z students is currently experiencing a significant increase, making it difficult for them to speak in front of an audience. This has been proven to impact their performance and social relationships. Virtual Reality (VR) technology in the Metaverse is an effective training tool for managing public speaking anxiety through various environmental customizations. However, scientific research is needed to better understand which features of the simulated environment are most important for increasing or decreasing participants’ discomfort. This study examined the role of visual audience and presentation room characteristics, including realism and unrealism, on perceived anxiety, presence, and realism in an interactive VR public speaking scenario. 85 participants participated in four public speaking sessions and measured heart rate changes throughout the presentation. The results showed that audience and presentation room realism played a significant role in perceived anxiety during virtual public speaking. Specifically, higher levels of realism, as a stimulus, increased anxiety levels among Gen Z students. Conversely, lower levels of acoustic realism were associated with lower anxiety among presenters during public speaking. Furthermore, a relationship between realism and anxiety was found, and a relationship between the duration of practice and reduced anxiety. Overall, our results demonstrate that virtual environmental features play a key role in creating a realistic public speaking experience. They can be used as a social skills training strategy to help reduce academic difficulties and improve public speaking anxiety among Gen Z students.
Keywords—Gen Z, Metaverse, public speaking anxiety, social anxiety, Virtual Reality (VR)
Copyright © 2026 by the authors. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited (CC BY 4.0).
Keywords—Gen Z, Metaverse, public speaking anxiety, social anxiety, Virtual Reality (VR)
Cite: Sumitra Nuanmeesri, Lap Poomhiran, Shutchapol Chopvitayakun, and Preedawon Kadmateekarun, "Next-generation Virtual Exposure Technology for Public Speaker Social Anxiety Reduction in Gen Z Learners," International Journal of Information and Education Technology, vol. 16, no. 8, pp. 2079-2090, 2026.
Copyright © 2026 by the authors. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited (CC BY 4.0).