The purpose of this study is to better understand new college students' attitudes toward and perceptions of communication media and technology and themselves as communicators in the context of communication competence. Building on the results of a previous qualitative study, the researchers developed a survey focused on communication competence in…

Finds that, for students with high test anxiety, support from people outside of class is positively related to exam grades, and support from peers in class is negatively related to exam grades; however, for students with low test anxiety the reverse is true. (SR)

Describes student perceptions of what it means to be a new college/university student. Collects and analyzes metaphors generated by first-year university students to describe the first-year experience. (SR)

Finds that making content relevant to students' personal and career was a factor, in addition to immediacy, that increased students' state motivation. Notes that a scale to measure content relevance in the classroom was developed, factor analyzed, and determined to be a valid and reliable unidimensional instrument. (SR)

Suggests that, while the affective and behavioral dimensions of intercultural communication competence are related to international students' satisfaction with their communication skills, talking with American students was the single most important factor in perceptions of communication competency and adjusting to American life. (SR)

Compares self-reports of speech preparation activities by high and low public speaking apprehensive individuals. Finds that high communication apprehensives spent more time on non-communication-oriented activities and more time preparing their speeches but received lower grades than low apprehensives, while low communication apprehensives spent…

Supports a causal relationship between teacher immediacy and state motivation and replicates a pattern in which students perceive motivation as a personally-owned state and demotivation as a teacher-owned problem. Observes test-retest changes in state motivation and teacher use of nonverbal immediacy behaviors, with absence of negatives more…

Describes and analyzes the communication perspectives of freshman as they adjust to the new environment and their role as university students. Focuses on how their communication perspectives might differ in conjunction with differences in residence arrangements (campus dormitories, greek sororities or fraternity houses, and at home with parents).…

Finds that students enrolled in a basic communication course perceived significant improvement in class, work, and social settings, with the changes greater for the class context in terms of public speaking, interpersonal communication, group communication, interviewing, and self-confidence. (SR)

Identifies nine factors offered in explanation for stage fright by undergraduate students without any formal background in communication: mistakes, unfamiliar role, humiliation, negative results, rigid rules, personality traits, preparation, audience interest, and physical appearance. Shows that respondents' own previous public-speaking experience…

Examines the relationship between college student perceptions of teacher immediacy and student ratings of instruction. Notes that 266 students responded to instruments designed to measure the frequency of teachers' verbal and nonverbal immediacy behaviors. Finds positive correlation between immediacy and student ratings of instruction. Discusses…

Conducts an experiment on teacher expectancy effects to investigate the simultaneous effects of student gender, communication channel, and type of material taught (vocabulary and reasoning). Finds that the magnitude of teacher expectation effects was greater when students had access to visual cues, especially when the students were female. (MS)

Investigates a possible source of grade-related conflict--the different perceptions students and teachers hold on what grades "mean." Finds stark differences between the two groups' perceptions of grades while underscoring the value of metaphor analysis as a tool for elucidating respondents' deeply felt central meanings. (SR)

Finds that five composite beliefs about arguing (enjoyment, self-concept, pragmatic outcomes, dysfunctional outcomes, and ego-involvement) explain significant variance in underlying motivation to argue and to discriminate between individuals who vary in the predisposition. Discusses implications for pedagogy and curriculum design in argumentation…

Investigates the effect of reticence on college students' use of electronic mail to communication with faculty. Notes the difference in the frequency of using electronic mail by reticent and non-reticent students. Considers how reticent students prefer to use electronic mail over speaking to faculty at their offices. (SG)