Self-perceived communication competence and communication apprehension: A study of Indonesian college students

Adaninggar Septi Subekti

doi:10.30659/e.5.1.14-31

Abstract

Considering the important role of Individual Differences (IDs) factors in variations in the ultimate success of learners learning second language (L2, this study investigated Indonesian college students’ two ID components, self-perceived communication competence (SPCC) and their communication apprehension (CA), in English as L2. Several rationales become the basis of the present study. Despite the importance of learners’ SPCC in L2 learning as suggested by several empirical studies outside Indonesia, there have not been any specific study investigating learners’ SPCC in the Indonesian context despite the country being the home of one of the largest number of L2 speakers of English in the world. As a seminal study in the context, the study using quantitative methods enables generalisation which could pave a way for further studies in the field in the Indonesian context. A total of 276 non-English major college students participated in the study in a survey using probability random sampling. Using descriptive statistics in SPSS 21, the study found that learners had medium level of SPCC and medium level of CA. Through correlation formula, the study also found that there was moderate significant association between learners’ SPCC and their CA. Through regression analysis, it was found that their SPCC could predict 23% of variance in their CA. The findings urge teachers to provide as many learning opportunities as possible in enjoyable learning environment to increase learners’ perception of their capability, in turn boosting their confidence to speak in English. Based on the findings and several limitations of the study, several suggestions of future studies are presented.

Highlights

That there are variations in the ultimate success and achievement of learners learning second language (L2) may have become a common intuitiveSubekti, A.S. (2020)
The items on self-perceived communication competence (SPCC) were adapted from Matsuoka et al.'s (2014) and Peng's and Woodrow's study of Indonesian college students
To ensure the internal reliability of the questionnaire items, reliability analysis was conducted in which questionnaire items could be said to have a high internal reliability if their Cronbach’s alpha coefficient is close to one (1) (Bryman, 2012)

Summary

Introduction

That there are variations in the ultimate success and achievement of learners learning second language (L2) may have become a common intuitiveSubekti, A.S. (2020). Dornyei (2005) attributed this variation of learners’ achievement in learning an L2 to learners’ individual differences (IDs). He defined IDs as individual learner’s characteristics that are unique and differ him or her from other learners. These characteristics explain why learners acquire an L2 differently from one another (Dornyei, 2005; Ortega, 2009). IDs include various learners’ characteristics, which include age, gender, language aptitude, learning styles, learning strategies, willingness to communicate, motivation, anxiety, and perceived competence (Ortega, 2009)

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Conclusion