Communication Apprehension and Self-Perceived Communication Competence as Variables Underlying Willingness to Communicate

Abstract

Based on the literature, willingness to communicate (WTC) can be defined as “the probability that an individual will choose to initiate communication, more specifically, talking, when free to do so” (MacIntyre et al. The Canadian Modern Language Review 59:590, 2003). Two crucial factors directly influencing one’s willingness to communicate are perceived communication competence together with communication apprehension (MacIntyre et al. Modern Language Journal 82:545–562, 1998). Perceived communication competence refers to self-reported verbal activity and ability (McCroskey Communication Education 31(1):1–7, 1982) while communication apprehension is described as an “individual level of fear or anxiety associated with either real or anticipated communication with another person or persons” (McCroskey Communication education 26:28, 1977). The paper explores the extent to which perceived competence and communication apprehension are the causes of students’ willingness to communicate as hypothesized by MacIntyre et al. (The Canadian Modern Language Review 59:587–605, 2003) and found by MacIntyre and Charos (Journal of Language and Social Psychology 15:3–26, 1996). Three types of questionnaires were used to investigate the relations among the above-mentioned variables. The subjects of the study were first-year students of the English Department at the University of Silesia. The students completed WTC Scale (McCroskey Communication Quarterly 40:16–25, 1992), Self-perceived Communication Competence Scale (McCroskey Communication Research Reports 5, 108–113, 1988) and Personal Report of Communication Apprehension (McCroskey Communication Education 31(1):1–7, 1982). All three instruments were administered to one group of students, altogether 25 subjects. Results show that a combination of perceived competence and communication apprehension strongly impact willingness to communicate. In the following presentation primary attention is devoted to questionnaire results. Theoretical and practical implications are also discussed.