Curriculum changes and training advances in business communica
tion have provided students and practitioners with an opportunity to
develop and improve communication skills. Despite such changes,
research continues to demonstrate that communication apprehension
can injuriously impede skills attainment. Yet, the measurement prop
erties of instruments used to measure oral and writing apprehension
have received limited attention. In particular, research has not fully
explored the impact of question order on the measurement properties
of these instruments. This article presents the results of an investi
gation about the effect of question order randomization on the psy
chometric properties of two frequently used oral and written appre
hension instruments. Results showed that the measurement properties
of these instruments were significantly altered when the question
order was randomized.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Beatty, M.J. (1994). Personal report of communication apprehension . In R. Rubin, P. Palmgreen, & H. Sypher, Communication Research Measures. New York: Guilford Press, 292-295.
2.
Bennett, K., & Rhodes, S.C. (1988). Writing apprehension and writing intensity in business and industry. The Journal of Business Communication , 25(1), 25-39.
Bline, D.M., Duchon, D., & Meixner, W.F. (1991). The measurement of organizational and professional commitment: A test of the psychometric properties of two commonly used instruments . Behavioral Research in Accounting, 3, 1-12.
5.
Bourhis, J., & Allen, A. (1992). Meta-analysis of the relationship between communication apprehension and cognitive performance. Communication Education , 41, 68-76.
6.
Budd, R.J. (1987). Response bias and the Theory of Reasoned Action . Social Cognition, 5, 95-107.
7.
Burgoon, J.K., & Hale, J.L. (1981). Dimensions of communication avoidance and their impact on verbal encoding. Paper presented at the Annual Convention of the International Communication Association. Minneapolis.
8.
Burgoon, J.K., & Hale, J.L. (1983). A research note on the dimensions of communication reticence. Communication Quarterly, 31, 238-248.
9.
Cronbach, L., (1951). Coefficient alpha and the internal structure of tests. Psychometrika, 16, 297-334.
10.
Daly, J.A. (1978). Writing apprehension and writing intensity in business and industry. Journal of Educational Research, 72, 10-14.
11.
Daly, J.A., & Miller, M.D. (1975). The empirical development of an instrument to measure writing apprehension. Research in the Teaching of English, 9, 242-248.
12.
Everett, J.E., & Entrekin, L.V. (1980). Factor comparability and the advantages of multiple group factor analysis. Multivariate Behavioral Research, 15, 165-180.
13.
Fordham, D.R., & Gabbin, A.L. (1996). Skills versus apprehension: Empirical evidence on oral communication. Business Communication Quarterly, 59, 88-97.
14.
Freimuth, V.S. (1976). The effects of communication apprehension on communication effectiveness. Human Communications Research, 14, 289-295.
15.
Hair, Jr., J.F., Anderson, R.E., & Tatham, R.L. (1987). Multivariate Data Analysis. New York: Macmillan.
16.
Kaiser, H.F. (1970). A second generation little jiffy. Psychometrika, 35, 401-415.
17.
Lawley, D.N., & Maxwell, A.E. (1971). Factor Analysis as a Statistical Method. New York: Macmillan.
18.
Leary, M.R. (1991). Social anxiety, shyness and related constructs . In J. P. Robinson, P. R. Shaver, & L. S. Wrightsman (Eds), Measures of Personality and Social Psychological Attitudes. San Diego, DA: Academic Press.
19.
Levine, T.R., & McCroskey, J.C. (1990). Measuring communication apprehension: A test of rival measurement models of the PRCA-24. Communication Monographs, 57, 62-72.
20.
McCroskey, J.C. (1984). The Communication Apprehension Perspective (4th ed). Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
21.
McCroskey, J.C., Beatty, M.J., Kearney, P., & Plax, T.G. (1985). The content validity of the PRCA-24 as a measure of communication apprehension across communication contexts. Communication Quarterly, 33, 165-173.
22.
Nunnally, J. (1978). Psychometric Theory. New York : McGraw-Hill.
23.
Penley, L.E., Alexander, E.R., Jernigan, I.E., & Henwood, C.I. (1991). Communication abilities of managers: The relationship to performance. Journal of Management, 17, 57-76.
24.
Ruchala, L.V., & Hill, J.W. (1994). Reducing accounting students' oral communication apprehension: Empirical evidence. Journal of Accounting Education , 12, 283-303.
25.
Simons, K.A., Higgins, M., & Lowe, D. (1995). A profile of communication apprehension in accounting majors: Implications for teaching and curriculum revision. Journal of Accounting Education, 13, 159-176.
26.
Stanga, K.G., & Ladd, R.T. (1990). Oral communication apprehension in beginning accounting majors: An exploratory study. Issues in AccountingEducation , 5, 180-194.
27.
Stout, D.E., & Rebele, J.E. (1996). Establishing a research agenda for accounting education. Accounting Education: A Journal of Theory, Practice, and Research, 1, 1-18.
