Limitations of Interpersonal Communciation Research :: essays research papers

When taking a limit of an equation in Calculus, a limit does not always exist. However, in the real word there are always limitations to what people can accomplish no matter how hard they work or try. These limitations are evident in interpersonal commuciation research as well. In the article, "Commucication Apprehension Among Secretarial Students," the authors, Melanie Booth-Butterfield and Carol C. Thomas, research and examine the levels of trait communication apprehension among students enrolled in college level office administration programs. In the following paragraphs I will discuss the process and two limitations of the research. In the article, the authors seek to investigate communication apprehension among secretarial students. Communication apprehension is an individual’s level of fear or anxiety associated with communicationg with others (Booth-Butterfield & Thomas, 1995, pp. 39). The methodological framework utilitized by the authors was to administer questionnaires during regular class time in four different sections. This survey included a measure of trait communication apprehension and anxiety across four different areas of interpersonal, small group, meeting and public speaking. In addition, the questionnaire asked for the age and whether the participants have had experience in a co-op role or as a secretary for a regular business. The participants of the questionaire were 117 random students enrolled at a four-year, technical business-oriented college. Of these students, 58 were female students enrolled full-time in office administration courses. The remaining students were not secretarial students but were enrolled in business administration, management, and communication courses. The results of the survey clearly showed a higher communication apprehension among secretarial students than non-secretarial students rergardless of age or job experience. Furthermore, secretarial students showed anxiety in all four areas of communication especially in public speaking. In conlusion to the research, the authors say that the anxiety experienced by many office adminstration students should be observable and will substatntively influence their performance in classes and on the job (Booth-Butterfield & Thomas, 1995, pp. 39). Although this communication apprehension research seems reasonable, limitations include the type of data used and the relationships or generalizations that are drawn between certain variables. To begin with, the methodological framework utilized by the author is in the form of a questionairre. A questionairre is basically a test to see how one thinks of his or herself and is not necessarily accurate. For example, an individual may think he or she is apprehensive to communication but when actually confronted with the scenerio may perform rather well and without any fear or anxiety. Perhaps a better methodological approach in gathering data is to setup an actual communication setting and have the participants perform to the communication task. The data should be based on the performance as well as feedback from the participant to see if the communication apprehension was