Progression of SPCC with different receiver types Stranger

Figure 4.13 indicates that this group of participants scored fairly low in the range regarded as average, with M = 52.36 (Addendum 4.2; Table 17) in SPCC when interacting with strangers.

Scores between 31 and 79 are considered average (McCroskey et al. 2006).

year; LS Means

138 Figure 4.13: Progression of stranger SPCC: 2009 to 2012

A similar pattern to the different contexts can be seen. There was a significant improvement in students' perception of their own communication competence when interacting with strangers between the first and second year but thereafter no further changes occurred. On the figure the shift is indicated from ‘b’ to ‘a’ and thereafter, regardless of the slight deviations, it stays ‘a’. In 2009 only 4% of the participants indicated that they were highly competent when speaking to strangers. However, in 2012 19% indicated that they felt highly competent about communicating with strangers. Furthermore, initially 28% felt that they were not competent when speaking to strangers and this percentage decreased to 11% in 2012 (see Addendum 4.1).

Acquaintances

As was the case with the receiver type strangers, Figure 4.14 indicates that participants improved between the first two years of their studies with regard to SPCC about communication with acquaintances. The use of the annotated letters indicate a shift from ‘b’

to ‘a’ between 2009 and 2010 only.

year; LS Means

Current effect: F(3, 139)=11.218, p=.00000 Type III decomposition Vertical bars denote 0.95 confidence intervals

2009 2010 2011 2012

year 35

40 45 50 55 60 65 70

SPCC stranger

a a a

b

139 Figure 4.14: Progression of acquaintance SPCC: 2009 to 2012

From the second to the fourth year no significant improvements in SPCC with regard to interacting with acquaintances took place. Overall, there was a significant improvement in the participants’ self-perceived communication competence when interacting with acquaintances.

Initially, 42% of participants indicated that they did not feel competent to interact with acquaintances, however, the improvement in SPCC in this context meant that in 2012 only 20% still regarded themselves to be incompetent when communicating with acquaintances (see Addendum 4.2).

In summary, the data on the SPCC of participants shows that there was an increase in levels of SPCC of participants between the first and second year and thereafter no further changes occurred. This trend was noticeable not only for total SPCC, but also for SPCC across various context as well as various receiver types.

140 4.4 CORRELATING COMMUNCATION APPREHENSION, WILLINGENESS TO COMMUICATE AND SELF-PERCEIVED COMMUNICATION COMPTENCE

Zakahi and McCroskey (1989:98) found significant correlations between WTC and a variety of trait-like orientations, indicating that WTC is negatively associated with communication apprehension, but positively with self-perceived communication skills. The results of this study confirm these correlations as indicated in Figures 4.15, 4.16 and 4.17 below (see Addendum 4.3 for the correlations).

As discussed in Section 2.3.2, the literature indicates that WTC appears to be the best predictor of actual communication approach or avoidance behaviours. PRCA and SPCC appear to measure the factors that make major contributions to the prediction of a person’s WTC (McCroskey 1997:105). Low apprehension (PRCA) and high perception of communication competence (SPCC) should predict high willingness to communicate (WTC).

PLS preference mapping plot graphically indicating correlations between sets of variables. If variables are plotted on the same side of the graph and in or close to the correlation circles annotated on the graph, it indicates positive correlation. Variables plotted on opposite sides indicate negative correlation.

141 Figure 4.15 shows that in this study there is a negative correlation between communication apprehension (PRCA) and willingness to communicate (WTC). This contributes to the predictions of WTC. In other words, the higher the CA is, the lower WTC would be and conversely, lower CA indicates higher WTC.

As with PRCA and WTC, a negative relationship exists between apprehension (PRCA) and self-perceived communication competence (SPCC) as is shown in Figure 4.16.

Figure 4.16: PRCA vs SPCC

Higher levels of communication apprehension are associated with lower levels of self-perceived competence and lower levels of CA with higher perceptions of communication competence.

142 Figure 4.17: SPCC vs WTC

Figure 4.17 above confirms the findings of previous studies suggesting positive correlations between SPCC and WTC. As can be seen in the overlapping scatter plots, higher perceptions of communication competence will most probably lead to higher levels of WTC.

consumers

143 4.5 DISCUSSION OF THE QUANTITATIVE RESULTS

The discussion of the results of the various surveys must be done with the quantitative sub-question which this chapter aims to answer in mind. The quantitative sub-sub-question was: To what extent do FP student teachers experience change in their communication behaviours over the course of a B Ed degree?

As discussed in Section 4.1 the four self-report survey measures were administered in an attempt to address the above-mentioned quantitative sub-question. Change in perception about communication behaviour in general is very broad and the use of the four self-report survey measures helped to narrow the focus to measure the perceptions of student teachers³⁷ of their nonverbal immediacy (NI), communication apprehension (CA), willingness to communicate (WTC) as well as their self-perceived communication competence (SPCC).

Whilst acknowledging that the own perception of student teachers about their skill is not necessarily a true reflection of actual competence, it does help to predict possible patterns of approach or avoidance behaviours related to communication.

The following sub-sections present an interpretation of the results of the quantitative data.

Section 4.5.1 addresses nonverbal immediacy, followed by a discussion regarding communication apprehension in section 4.5.2. The clear association between SPCC and WTC suggests that these measures will have similar effects on the communication behaviours of student teachers. In an attempt to avoid repetition of the interpretation of the data related to student teacher behaviours, these two concepts will be addressed simultaneously in Section 4.5.3.