Communication apprehension among first-year engineering degree students of Universiti Malaysia Perlis

Abstract

Prospective employers complained that 50% of graduates have unsatisfactory grasp of English communication skills. This study looks at the level of oral communication apprehension of the first-year Engineering Degree students of Universiti Malaysia Perlis. A questionnaire called the Personal Report of Communication Apprehension (PRCA-24) was administered to the students. Results show that 24.2% experience high communicative apprehension with 81.6% experience apprehension in public speaking. The paper discusses what educators can do to improve communicative apprehension