Relationship of Communication Apprehension and Communication Preferences Amongst Students of NUST

Abstract

The aim of this research was to study how the degree of communication apprehension (CA) in Pakistani university students affects their choice of usage of face-to-face (FTF) communication or computer mediated communication (CMC) to indulge in interpersonal communication. The objective was to discover the trends and patterns of communication style, as the degree of communication apprehension varies. The researchers chose a sample of 401 university students from National University of Sciences and Technology, Islamabad, Pakistan. They used a test known as PRCA-24 (Personal Report of Communication Apprehension) to determine the degree of communication apprehension in each individual. They then carried out a survey to determine communication preferences of each individual. The researchers linked both sets of data and analysed it through cross-tabulation. The findings of the research supported the research hypothesis of the study. It was found that students who experience a low level of CA were more inclined toward using FTF communication whereas the preference shifted to CMC when the level of CA in an individual was high.