Research On Factors Influencing Adolescents’ Online Communication Competence

With the continuous development of various online communication platforms on Internet, computer-or mobile phone-mediated online communication (OC) has become an effective way for interpersonal communication. Past researchers have extensively and intensively explored the various themes about individuals’communication competence in face-to-face or offline environments. However, the interest in online communication competence (OCC1) has just arised in the last ten years. Via much questionnaire investigation, this paper explored such topics as the constituent factors of OCC and their inter-relationships, how motivational elements and developmental tasks affect adolescents’OCC, and how OCC relates to their parental, peer attachments and their emotional adaptation. The following conclusions had been reached.(1) It was revealed that adolescents’OCC was composed of four dimensions such as OC knowledge, OC skills, OC adequacy and OC effects. OC knowledge consisted of declarative and procedural knowledge. OC skills included five factors such as attention, coordination, composure, expressiveness and media operation, which could be regarded as general OC skills. OC adequacy included appropriateness, effectiveness and clarity. And OC effects had communication satisfaction, user attraction and communication efficiency as its factors. Further analysis revealed that Adolescents have eight types of special OC skills such as emotional support, relationship initiation, conflict management, self-exposure, expressing dissatisfaction, seeking forgiveness, emotional perceptional and breaking silence.(2) There existed some predictive relationships among the four dimensions of OCC. OC knowledge, OC skills and OC adequacy all directly and positively predicted OC effects. And OC adequacy acted as a mediator between OC skills and OC effects. As to the relationship between general and specific OCC, it was found that OCC was positively predictive of various types of special OC skills. And the four dimensions of OCC differed in their predictive force in predicting each of the eight types of OC skills. Specifically, genral OC skills had the greatest predictive effect on specific OC skills, and the OC adequacy also had relatively great predictive force.(3) Adolescents’offline communication competence positively predicted their online social presence, OC motivation and perceived control all of which could positively forecast their OCC and completely mediated the relationship between offline and online communication competence. Furthermore, perceived control produced the greatest mediating effect. (4) Adolescents’ perceived control of OC, perceived usefulness and pleasure with OC, and their attitude towards OC all positively predicted their OCC, and these motivational elements affected OCC through the mediator of OC experience. By contrast, it was clearly shown that perceived control and usefulness had the greatest predictive effects, followed by perceived pleasure, adolescents’attitude toward OC and perceived easiness in using it. Indulgence and subjective norms had no significant predictive effects. As to the effects of these motivators on PIU, it was found that attentiveness was the most important predictor of PIU, while perceived control had no significant effect on PIC, and perceived usefulness and pleasure just had relatively lower effect on PIU, quite different results as compared with the effects of these same motivators on OCC. Similarly, subjective norms also had no significant effects on PIU.(5) Adolescents’ negative separation-individuation mainly positively affected their identity diffusion and had relatively small effect on identity moratorium. Identity diffusion only positively affected adolescents’ PIU without significant effects on OCC. Moratorium positively predicted both OCC and PIU, but had greater effect on OCC. Generally speaking, negative separation-individuation had greater influence on PIU than on OCC.Adolescents’public self consciousness positively predicted their OCC without significant effects on PIU. Private self consciousness positively predicted both their OCC and PIU with a greater effect on OCC. Generally speaking, the development of self consciousness helped improve adolescents’ OCC.Personal fable could positively predict adolescents’OCC and PIU with greater effects on PIU. Imaginary audience had significant and positive effects OCC and significant negative effects on PIU, and it could strengthen the relationship between personal fable and PIU.Both parental and peer attachments could positively predict adolescents’OCC which further positively predicted their self esteem and negatively predicted their loneliness. Parental and peer attachments only had direct effects on adolescents’self esteem while both types of attachment had not only direct but also indirect effects on loneliness through the mediating role of OCC.Adolescents’ OCC positively predicted their satisfaction towards their friendship, family and school and even their potive affect. However, OCC had no significant effect on their negative affect.