Aggressive, Passive, and Assertive: Which Communication Style Is Commonly Used by College Students?

Abstract

The focus of this survey was the three basic communication styles. Specifically, these are the aggressive, passive, and assertive. This study was accomplished to confirm the communication style of the randomly selected students from the seven different colleges and one school in a university. The descriptive survey design was utilized in gathering the data. The instrument consisted of the indicators that verify the communication style of the respondents. There were three hundred thirty seven students who participated in the survey. The findings of the study revealed that females are greater in number that male respondents. Most of the respondents’ religious affiliation are Catholics and only few are non-Catholics. The location of respondents’ houses can be found mostly in the rural areas. Among the 337 respondents no one said that they use aggressive, passive, and assertive communication style extensively and at all times or always. Aggressive communication style is consistently utilized in few times by the CAS, COA, CBE, COE, CIT, CEA, and CON and was applied occasionally by the STHM students only. Passive communication style is used by the students from COA, CBE, CIT, CEA and STHM occasionally, while the students from CAS, COE and CON employed this communication style in few times. Assertive communication style was applied by CBE, COE, CIT, CEA, CON and STHM students often, while students from CAS and COA used it occasionally. In closing, the three communication styles were used by different group of people in different manner and at different extent; however an effective communicator is one who could transmit his message accurately regardless of his communication style.