The apprehensive intern : a study of the communication apprehension levels of journalism and public relations interns during supervisor interactions

No Thumbnail Available
Authors
Condon, Robert D.
Advisor
McDonald, Becky A.
Issue Date
2004
Keyword
Degree
Thesis (M.A.)
Department
Department of Journalism
Other Identifiers
Abstract

Insufficient research has addressed communication apprehension (CA) as it relates explicitly to the journalism and public relations disciplines. The purpose of this study was to measure the CA levels of undergraduate journalism and public relations interns after participating in communication events with their immediate supervisors during their internship experiences.A total of 55 male and female undergraduate students, who had completed internships in the four semesters prior to this study, chose to participate. McCroskey's Personal Report of Communication Apprehension 24 (PRCA-24) scale (McCroskey 1984b) was administered to each participant to measure CA in four contexts: group discussions, meetings, interpersonal communication, and public speaking. The two hypotheses predicted significant differences in CA levels based on the age differences and sex differences between interns and their immediate supervisors. The results showed no significance for either hypothesis. Limitations and implications for future research were discussed in the final chapter.

Collections