Perceptions Of Communication Competence, Self‐Efficacy, And Trait Communication Apprehension: Is There an Impact on Basic Course Success?

Abstract

The study examined the trends and relationships among communication apprehension (CA), self‐efficacy (S‐E), and self‐perceived public speaking competence (SPPSC), and impact on course grade, for 304 students enrolled in a basic public speaking course. Respondents completed McCroskey's (1982) Personal Report of Communication Apprehension (PRCA‐24), the Self‐Efficacy scale (S‐E Scale) (Pintrich and DeGroot's, 1990), and the Self‐perceived Public Speaking Competency scale (SPPSC Scale) (Ellis, 1995), based on the National Communication Association's (NCA) “Competent Speaker Speech Evaluation Form” (Morreale, 1990). Results indicated significant changes occurred in CA, S‐E, and SPPSC levels throughout the semester. However, only S‐E at mid‐semester and semester's end predicted grade.