Patterns of Change in Willingness to Communicate in Public Speaking Contexts: A Latent Growth Modeling Analysis

Abstract

This study offers a comprehensive analysis of change in willingness to communicate (WTC) in public speaking contexts (i.e., PS-WTC). The proposed conceptualization of change was tested using longitudinal data collected from a sample of 706 undergraduate students enrolled in an introductory communication course in a US university. Results of latent growth modeling (LGM) analysis indicate that PS-WTC scores increased linearly over a semester. In addition, this investigation found significant interindividual differences in students' PS-WTC intraindividual change trajectories, which were in part accounted for by differences in communication apprehension level, age, and class rank. The importance of these findings for advancing communication research and informing current pedagogical as well as methodological practices is discussed.