Communication apprehension in various situations and social settings among university students in UAE

Abstract

Using the scale of communication apprehension developed by McCroskey, a quantitative study was conducted to explore communication apprehension among undergraduate students in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE). The study was conducted by distributing the personal report of communication apprehension (PRCA) questionnaire, randomly amongst college students in Abu Dhabi. Results show that demographics, age, or college year does not make any significant differences amongst the undergraduate students. A majority of students were found to have high Communication Apprehension (CA) with public speaking rather than other scenarios, and a lesser number of students were found to have a high CA level with one-on-one conversations. However, it is important to note that a significant number of them still tested to have a high CA with interpersonal communications. © SEARCH Journal 2021.

Keywords Communication apprehension, Interpersonal communication, Public speaking & group discussion