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Opening Doors or Creating Barriers?: The Influence of Interpreters on Levels of Communication Apprehension among Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Students

Posted on:2012-09-20Degree:M.SType:Thesis
University:Rochester Institute of TechnologyCandidate:Williams, Jenna KFull Text:PDF
GTID:2457390011452951Subject:Communication
Abstract/Summary:
Classroom communication apprehension (CA) affects roughly 70% of undergraduate college students (Bowers, 1986, p. 373). After a discussion of CA as a theory, a survey tool is presented to measure if there is a difference in the amount and type of CA experienced by deaf and hard-of-hearing college students when compared to their hearing peers. The survey includes McCroskey's PRCA-24 tool for measuring CA and several additional questions on how the presence of a sign language interpreter influences levels of classroom CA. The survey's 155 respondents report a statistically significant difference in the amount and type of CA experienced. Limitations and possibilities for future research are discussed.;Keywords: communication apprehension, deaf, postsecondary education, interpreter, PRCA-24.
Keywords/Search Tags:Communication apprehension, Deaf
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