Date of Award

9-1-1998

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Communication

First Advisor

Dr. Robert Carlson

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis was to explore some of the potential relationships among communication apprehension, communication competence, and nonverbal behaviors of international students on an American campus. The PRCA-24 (Personal Report of Communication Apprehension), and the CCSR (Communication Competence Self-Report Questionnaire) were used as a means of student self report data gathering. Twenty one students from ten difference countries were videotaped as they presented a required speech after completing the self-report questionnaires. The PSNA (Public Speaking Nonverbal Assessment), which looks at the general areas of paralanguage, speaker disposition, eye behaviors and body motion, was then used by five American graduate teaching assistants to evaluate the speeches in terms of the speaker's use of nonverbal behaviors. Results of the data analysis suggest that as a speaker's level of communication apprehension goes up his/her level of communication competence decreases. The results also indicate that there are specific nonverbal behaviors related to a speaker's level of communication competence and communication apprehension but these behaviors are very culture specific.

Comments

A Thesis Presented to the Department of Communication and the Faculty of the Graduate College In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts University of Nebraska at Omaha. Copyright 1998 Sarah Catherine Connors.

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