Reduce Communication Apprehension Research Articles

Investigating The Impact of Communication Apprehension on Learning Public Speaking of English Major Students

Being able to stand in front of a crowd and speak in front of an audience is important for improving the academic achievement of individuals in the present as well as support for future career development. McCroskey and Richmond (1987) assert that the ability to speak in public is important for persuasion and effective communication because it allows people to confidently convey their ideas, engage an audience, and express themselves clearly. However, Horwitz et al. (1991) define linguistic CA as the feelings of discomfort or uncomfortable experienced by foreign language learners. Learning a foreign language can be stressful for many students, especially when they are in the classroom. This study aimed to investigate the impact of communication apprehension (CA) on the learning of public speaking skills among English major students at Nam Can Tho University. A quantitative data collection method was used to address three key research questions: (1) How does communication apprehension affect the learning of public speaking skills? (2) What are the common causes of communication apprehension among English major students? (3) What are the possible methods to reduce communication apprehension and improve public speaking skills? The study utilizes a questionnaire including 47 questions to identify common causes of communication apprehension (CA) to explore potential strategies to deal with CA in public speaking. The Reliability Analysis on 50 items of these clusters showed that the reliability coefficient of the questionnaire could be acceptable for all parts. The sample consisted of 135 university students enrolled in English Studies major in 4 different classes. They averaged around 18 to 22 years of age with 29,6 percent being males, and 70,4 percent being female. The result showed that the preparation skills significantly impact the result of public speaking. Besides, based on the questionnaire result, factors like inappropriate self-expectations, fear of evaluation, excessive focus on the topic, and fear of the audience's reactions have no effect or minor effect on their public speaking. The findings of this research help the students improve their public speaking skills and inform the development of effective interventions to enhance their communication competence.

Communication self-efficacy and communication apprehension in a national sample of undergraduate nursing students: A cross-sectional study

AimThe aim of this study was to explore communication apprehension and communication self-efficacy in undergraduate nursing students and identify factors that contribute to communication apprehension and communication self-efficacy. BackgroundCommunication education and skills training is often incorporated into undergraduate nursing curricula; however, communication competence continues to be a problem for novice nurses. Communication apprehension is a concept that has been only minimally researched in nursing education and can have a negative impact on student communication readiness. DesignThis study employed a cross-sectional design and surveyed a national sample of undergraduate nursing students between October 2022 and March 2023. MethodsAn online survey was sent out to undergraduate nursing student members of the National Student Nurses Association as well as nursing education programs in 8 states and the District of Columbia. The survey was comprised of demographic questions, the Personal Report of Communication Apprehension, and the communication subscale of the Nursing Student Self-Efficacy Survey. ResultsApproximately 22.1 % of the students had high communication apprehension, with the highest communication apprehension in public speaking and classroom communication. Communication self-efficacy scores ranged from 12 to 40, with a mean of 31.65 (SD = 6.28). Communication apprehension and communication self-efficacy were significantly negatively correlated. Positive and negative affect were significant predictors of communication apprehension. Affect, as well as current healthcare employment were significant predictors of communication self-efficacy. When controlling for all demographic, educational, and psychological variables, communication apprehension was a significant predictor of communication self-efficacy. ConclusionsThis study is one of the few to explore communication apprehension in undergraduate nursing students. Data demonstrated that communication apprehension is a prevalent problem for many nursing students. Communication apprehension was also found to be a significant predictor of communication self-efficacy after controlling for all other variables. Progression through nursing education did not show a correlation with a decrease in the students’ communication apprehension or increase in communication self-efficacy. Given these findings, educational efforts aimed at reducing communication apprehension and enhancing students' school-related affect could contribute to an improvement in communication self-efficacy.

Cognitive Behaviour Therapy to Reduce Communication Apprehension in Students Who Are Working on Thesis

The complexity of writing a thesis causes difficulties or obstacles for students, which can result in the emergence of anxiety symptoms. This study aims to determine whether the Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) approach can reduce the level of communication apprehesion experienced by students who are working on a thesis. Study 1 used a quantitative experimental method with a non-control group design and study 2 used a qualitative method. The participants in this study were 5 students from one of the universities in Surabaya. The results of study 1 show that providing interventions in the form of group counseling with a CBT approach can reduce the level of communication apprehension experienced by students who are working on their thesis. The results of study 2 show that group members can change their cognitive distortions so that they have a more positive thought process. Group members are also able to apply CBT strategies that have been done together to reduce their communication anxiety so that it can increase the effectiveness of communication in preparing the thesis. ABSTRAK Kompleksitas penulisan skripsi menimbulkan kesulitan ataupun kendala bagi mahasiswa, yang dapat berakibat munculnya gejala-gejala kecemasan. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui apakah pendekatan Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) dapat menurunkan tingkat kecemasan komunikasi yang dialami oleh mahasiswa yang sedang mengerjakan skripsi. Studi 1 menggunakan metode kuantitatif eksperimen dengan non control group design dan studi 2 menggunakan metode kualitatif. Partisipan dalam penelitian ini adalah 5 orang mahasiswa dari salah satu universitas di Surabaya. Hasil studi 1 menunjukkan bahwa pemberian intervensi berupa konseling kelompok dengan pendekatan CBT dapat menurunkan tingkat kecemasan komunikasi yang dialami oleh mahasiswa yang sedang mengerjakan skripsi. Hasil studi 2 menunjukkan bahwa anggota kelompok dapat mengubah distorsi kognitifnya sehingga memiliki proses berpikir yang lebih positif. Anggota kelompok pun mampu untuk menerapkan strategi-strategi CBT yang telah dilakukan bersama untuk menurunkan kecemasan komunikasinya sehingga dapat meningkatkan keefektifan komunikasi dalam penyusunan skripsi.

Using Augmented Reality Applications to Develop EFL Speaking Skills and Reduce Communication Apprehension of Primary Stage Pupils

Using Augmented Reality Applications to Develop EFL Speaking Skills and Reduce Communication Apprehension of Primary Stage Pupils

Do English Education Department Students Experience Communication Apprehension? An Investigation of Their Level and Strategies

In recent decades, investigation on students’ communication apprehension has emerged after being abandoned. It is believed classroom interaction in oral competency consists of students’ activities which mainly facilitate them to develop their communication skill. However, not all students have the same ability in communication. This study aims to investigate the students’ level of communication apprehension and their strategies used to overcome. The Personal Report of Communication Apprehension-24 instrument was used to measure students’ level of communication apprehension, and was analyzed with quantitative descriptive. Interview was conducted to find out their strategies to overcome it. The data collection method was carried out by distributing to 20 respondents, the English education department students of Universitas PGRI Yogyakarta. The obtained data in the form of questionnaire transcription was analyzed as its formula, while interview data was be analyzed through data reduction, data display, and conclusion drawing/verification. The results showed that 5 students were categorized as low level, 3 students were in average level, and 12 students experienced in the high level. Efforts done by students to overcome the communication apprehension are cognitive, affective and social strategies. Based on the findings, it can be declared that majority of students experienced high level of communication apprehension and they preferred affective strategy to reduce communication apprehension. Findings of the research demanded the lecturers conduct meaningful activities such as group discussion to promote autonomous students’ communication practice.

Needs Analysis for the Development of a Counseling Module as an Intervention to Reduce Communication Apprehension among Students of Higher Learning Institutions

Communication apprehension can hinder communication skills among higher learning institutions students in their employment. Communication apprehension refers to an inability of a person to communicate effectively as a worker. Therefore, this article aims to identify the level of communication apprehension problems in various situations and the needs analysis to develop a counseling module to be used by counselors to reduce communication apprehension among higher learning institutions students. The study was conducted using a quantitative cross-sectional survey. A total of 384 students from six universities of different programs were selected to participate in this study. The findings from each item using the Personnel Instrument Communication Apprehension (PRCA 24) revealed that there is a need to design a counseling module. In addition, the findings from the descriptive statistics indicated that the majority of the participants had a moderate to a higher level of communication apprehension. Meanwhile, the analysis of the activities to be included in designing a counseling module should focus on the components of thoughts and feelings. Due to this, the cognitive behavior therapy is suitable as the basis for designing a module to reduce communication apprehension among students. The findings from this study have a significant contribution to counselors and lecturers who are dealing with students’ affairs in helping them solve this issue once they register as universities students. Therefore, it can be concluded that there is a need for one strategy or action to assist tertiary students who have problem in communication apprehension.

The relationship between communication apprehension and leadership styles in a job recruitment process

Nowadays, many organizations seek to accelerate the employees’ communication effectiveness. However, only a few put efforts into reducing communication apprehension and understanding their potential in leadership. This paper seeks to investigate the correlation between communication apprehension and leadership styles, and consequently tries to investigate its impact on individuals’ success in a job recruitment test. A total of 114 participants were gathered in an online survey from a government institution’s recruitment process. The inferential statistic tests (ANOVA) were used to determine differences in leadership styles and their communication apprehension based on respondents’ success in the recruitment process. Results showed that respondents who have high communication apprehension would display task-oriented leadership behaviors and were tended to be more focusing on their role and performance, while the lower communication apprehension indicated more relation-oriented leadership behaviors. Moreover, applicants with a relational leadership style would likely pass a job recruitment test and were more likely to have a successful result in a recruitment process than ones with a task-oriented leadership style. Additionally, this research also gives a glimpse of communication apprehension study in non-western countries. The findings suggest a need for organizations in addressing these issues in order to develop their employees’ communication capacity. Limitations and future research are also discussed in this paper.

Oral Communication Apprehension Among ESP Students in Algeria

Communication Apprehension has attracted a lot of research especially about students’ behaviour in the classroom and ever-increasing body of research has accumulated indicating that there is a pervasive relationship between this communication variable and various aspects of the academic experience. The main purpose of this article is to examine the level of Communication Apprehension (CA) among Third-Year Political Science students studying English for Specific Purposes (ESP) at Chlef University, and then investigate the main factors that lead to their CA in the ESP classroom. For the purpose of the study, the researcher used a mixed research method. The instruments that were used for data collection in the study are a questionnaire administered to 50 students and an interview conducted with 4 ESP teachers. The findings of the study revealed that most students had high level of CA with the relative contribution of two main reasons: instructional and psychological factors to the situation. Finally, some suggestions and recommendations on how to reduce communication apprehension among ESP students and improve their speaking skills were stated. Communication apprehension is a phenomenon that needs to be further investigated in the context of Political Sciences where students might be involved in situations where various cognitive and cultural elements work together.

Mentoring at-risk middle school students to reduce communication apprehension

Research has demonstrated the efficacy of mentoring at-risk students in a number of fields from physical education to math and science. While separate research has found that many at-risk students lack effective communication skills, little research has explored the potential of communication mentoring in improving at-risk students’ communication efficacy. In our study, we examined the effectiveness of communication majors in a senior capstone course mentoring at-risk middle school students. Mentors were assigned a protégé and were required to design a curriculum targeting specific communication apprehension concerns identified in each student and implement the curriculum over a 10-week period. Analysis of self-reported communication apprehension scores showed at-risk students prior to mentoring reported higher than average levels of communication apprehension. After mentoring, they reported statistically significantly lower levels of communication apprehension. The implications for mentoring, at-risk students, and improved middle school communication education are considered.

COPE Method Implementation Program to Reduce Communication Apprehension Level in Full Day Yunior High School Students

This study was aimed to explore the effect of COPE method to reduce communication apprehension level of students in Early Adolescence who become Full Day Junior High School students. Full Day Junior High School students, especially in Surabaya coastal area, have more demands to develop the communication aspects such as group discussions and presentations and extracurricular activities. Higher demands to develop such aspects of communication may cause them to experience communication apprehension. The subject was Full Day School students totaling 31 students. The design of the research was experimental design. The experimental method used was a non-randomized pretest posttest control group design and purposive sampling was also used. COPE method is a process that consists of four main stages where people are trying to deal with and control of stressful situations as a result of the problem being faced by conducting cognitive and behavioral changes. Four main stages COPE method is Calming the nervous system, Originating an imaginative plan, Persisting in the face of obstacles and failure, and Evaluating and adjusting the plan. Results of quantitative analysis based on U-Mann Whitney Test shows significant effect on the COPE Method to decrease anxiety levels of communication (0.000 <0.005).

An Experimemtal Design of Voicepedagogy Training as a Means to Reduce Communication Apprehension Using Two-Factor Theory, Psychological Conditioning And enviornmental Cues

An Experimemtal Design of Voicepedagogy Training as a Means to Reduce Communication Apprehension Using Two-Factor Theory, Psychological Conditioning And enviornmental Cues

Public Speaking Instruction: Abridge to Improve English Speaking Competence and Reducing Communication Apprehension

Public Speaking Instruction: Abridge to Improve English Speaking Competence and Reducing Communication Apprehension Nasser Omer M. Al-Tamimi Abstract The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of public speaking instruction on improving students’ communicative competence and reducing their communication apprehension in a foreign language setting. Participants in this study were 60 Yemeni English majors at the college of education of the Hadhramout University, Yemen. Objectives and research questions focused on determining whether public speaking instruction makes a difference for students who receive instruction as opposed to students who do not on two concepts: public speech performance and communication apprehension in speaking English. Results of the study illustrate that learners' public speech performance improved and low communication apprehension was shown after one term of instruction and practice of public speaking in favour of the experimental group. In line with previous research, the current study confirms that public speaking instruction has a positive effect on improving students' public speech performance and reducing communication apprehension of English language learners. The study also provides insightful perspective into second language pedagogy and presents suggestions for future research. Full Text: PDF DOI: 10.15640/ijlc.v2n4a4

An Online Alternative to Alleviate Communication Apprehension

Anxiety is an affective factor commonly associated with one’s overall performance in a foreign language. As a component of foreign language anxiety, communication apprehension specifically correlates with successful oral production. A plethora of research (Bailey, Onwuegbuzie &amp; Daley, 2003; Foss &amp; Reitzel, 1988) has indicated that high levels of communication apprehension negatively affects one’s L2 communication abilities. Thus, this study intends to remedy negative effects of communication apprehension on EFL learners by virtual meetings held through computer-mediated communication. The participants (N: 18) in this study were selected through purposive sampling. The study employed both quantitative and qualitative techniques. To analyze the data collected, a non-parametric test, Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test, was utilized. The results indicated that computer-mediated communication via voice over IP tools made a significant contribution to alleviate communication apprehension levels in the participants with varying degrees of apprehension levels. The study yielded the most drastic reduction in the high apprehension group, since the participants in this group made a significant progress and ended up with moderate levels of communication apprehension. Also, the participants’ self-reports revealed that computer-mediated communication yielded remarkably positive changes in their attitudes towards communicating in the target language. Moreover, the study revealed that computer-mediated communication helped to increase their intercultural awareness. Finally, participants provided a bunch of practical suggestions as possible solutions for reducing communication apprehension.

Concurrent Use of an Audience Response System at a Multi-Campus College of Pharmacy

To assess the impact of an audience response system (ARS) on student engagement at a multi-campus college of pharmacy. An online questionnaire was designed and administered to measure the impact of an ARS on student engagement, distance education, projected use, and satisfaction among pharmacy students for a course delivered across 3 sites via synchronous video transmission. Students reported that use of the ARS made it easier to participate (85.3%) and helped them to focus (75.7%) in classes when the lecturer was physically at a different site. They also valued that the ARS allowed them to respond anonymously (93.2%). A minority of students indicated that use of the ARS was distracting (11.8%). Implementation of an ARS was associated with positive student perceptions of engagement and may improve feelings of connectedness among students at schools with multiple sites. Use of ARSs could also represent a cognitive intercession strategy to help reduce communication apprehension.

Using Digital Video Technology to Reduce Communication Apprehension in Business Education

Several studies have shown that communication apprehension (CA) plays a significant role in reducing the effectiveness of oral communication in business settings. To compound this problem, environmental needs for large classes deny students the opportunity to present in the classroom and prevent universities from adequately addressing CA. In this study, digital video was used as a multimedia replacement for in-class oral presentations. A digital video treatment was designed and tested on a sample of second year management information systems (MIS) students at a large southeastern state university to determine its impact on CA. McCroskey's [McCroskey, J. C. 1982. An Introduction to Rhetorical Communication, 4th ed. Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ] Personal Report of Communication Apprehension (PRCA-24) was used to measure CA in a pretreatment/posttreatment design. Results showed that the treatment is associated with a reduction in CA. A feedback survey indicated that participants in the treatment group spent more time on average practicing oral communication skills and most felt the treatment prepared them to present again. Digital video can benefit students through reduced CA, increased practice time, and the ability to review their presentation delivery. In a large class environment digital video may be used as an alternative to in-class presentation in order to benefit students who would otherwise not have the opportunity to present.

Performance Visualization and Behavioral Disruption: A Clarification

Current data suggest that performance visualization is an effective way to reduce communication apprehension (Ayres, Hopf, & Ayres 1997), but performance visualization has not been as effective in reducing behavioral disruption as might be expected (Ayres & Hopf, 1992; Ayres et al. 1995). One reason for this seems to be the way the rigidity and agitation (Mulac & Sherman, 1973) have been treated in these investigations. In effect, researchers exposed people to performance visualization regardless of whether they exhibited rigid or agitated behavior and then reported whether changes occurred in both of these variables. That procedure is questionable because any person who exhibits rigidity will by definition not exhibit agitation. In order to examine the impact of this confounding factor in work on performance visualization, two studies were undertaken. The first study focused on rigidity and the second on agitation. These studies suggest that performance visualization is more effective in reducing agitation and rigidity than previous research suggests.

Communication Apprehension Among An-Najah National University Students

The primary purpose of this paper is to investigate the factors which lead to communication apprehension (CA) in the EFL classroom. The relative importance of a number of sources (psychological, instructional, and socio-cultural) has been investigated by means of a questionnaire. The sample of the study consisted of (209) non-English major EFL students at An-Najah University in Palestine. The findings of the study revealed that most students had either fear, or uneasiness about their learning experience which has hindered the language learning process. The paper concludes with a number of suggestions on how to reduce communication apprehension for future application in the teaching of English to non-English majors

Performance visualization: Does the nature of the speech model matter?

Research indicates that performance visualization is an effective way to reduce communication apprehension and reduce behavioral disruption (Ayres, Hopf, & Ayres 1997). The present study examined whether the impact of performance visualization on communication apprehension (CA) and behavior was enhanced by using a student speech as the image target rather than a “great speech”. These data indicate that a student speech model is superior to a great speech in reducing behavioral disruption among high CA speakers. These findings and their implications are considered in the discussion section of this report.

Measuring the impact of visualization on mental imagery: Comparing prepared versus original drawings

Research indicates that visualization, a procedure that involves asking speakers to imagine themselves making a successful presentation, is an effective way to reduce communication apprehension (for an overview of much of this research see Ayres, Hopf, & Ayres 1997). The present investigation was designed to determine if the conclusions drawn about the impact of visualization is similar when people generate original drawings or when they select drawings from a prepared set to represent how they envision themselves as public speakers. These data indicate that visualization had a similar effect regardless of whether people provided their own drawings or made a selection from a prepared set. These findings and their implications are discussed at the conclusion of this report.

Using images to enhance the impact of visualization

Research indicates that visualization has been an effective way to reduce communication apprehension (e.g., Ayres, Hopf, & Ayres, 1997). In general, this line of investigation has relied on text‐based material to help people create appropriate images. However, related work suggested that visualization may be more effectively induced using a combination of words and images (Sheikh, 1986). Thus, this investigation examined whether exposing people to (1) images, (2) text, or (3) a combination of images and text is the most effective way to help people reduce public speaking apprehension (PSA). To that end, a series of drawings were developed that paralleled the visualization script developed by Ayres and Hopf (1985). Once the drawings had been validated, high PSA individuals were randomly assigned to control, placebo, text only, drawings only, or text and drawings conditions. The results of this test indicated that those exposed to text accompanied by drawings reported lower PSA and envisioned themselves as public speakers who were more in control, more positive, and more vivid than those in the other conditions. The text and drawing conditions did not differ from one another. These findings and their implications were discussed.