| The researcher of this dissertation explored perceptions of Computer-Mediated-Communication (CMC) Competence. Computer-Mediated-Communication is an umbrella phrase for group of increasingly prominent communication technologies such as electronic mail or e-mail. In contrast, the notion of competence in communication is one that extends to the age of the ancient Greeks. Brian Spitzberg, a professor of communication at San Diego State University, developed a model that integrates CMC with the notion of competent interaction. The researcher here, with the support of Professor Spitzberg, has used his survey to study CMC competence among African-American students of Howard University.;The researcher constructed a sample of African-Americans taken from introductory speech communication classes. After the sample was surveyed, the researcher used multiple regression statistics in order to access the overall Spitzberg model. Of the various results, the researcher found that the original Spitzberg model includes various non-significant elements that are subsequently removed by the researcher and re-analysed. The implications and conclusions of the entire work are then discussed. The researcher concluded that there might be gender-based differences in the perception of CMC competence and thus behavioral consequences for those differences. |
