Exploring Agricultural Communications Students’ Perceptions of Communication Apprehension and Writing Apprehension in the Classroom

Abstract

Employers have identified oral and written communications skills to

The Effect of Instructors’ Immediate Behaviors and Clarity on Student Writing Apprehension

“…Employers continue to claim that college graduates lack effective writing skills (Anderson, 2014;Fischer, Meyers, & Dobelbower, 2017) and to ask college faculty to make the development of students' effective writing skills a priority (Ahrens, Meyers, Irlbeck, Burris, & Roach, 2016). Despite efforts by college faculty to respond to the challenges associated with students lacking effective writing skills, many students continue to show writing apprehension or attitudes of writing avoidance, resulting in students neglecting college writing courses (Ahrens et al, 2016;Daly & Miller, 1975) and avoiding the learning process (Daly & Miller, 1975). Daly and Miller (1975) coined the term writing apprehension, which "describes the interaction between attitudes toward writing and an individual's motivations, confidence, and skills to complete a written task" (Fischer et al, 2017, p. 255).…”

Determining Change in Students' Writing Apprehension Scores in a Writing Intensive Course: A Pre-Test, Post-Test Design

“…Improved writing skills are a necessary skill for these individuals to effectively communicate about the agricultural industry; however, many students may struggle to make learning to write well a priority due to apprehension and avoidance. Ahrens et al (2016) recommended understanding how courses in agricultural communications affect writing apprehension. The purpose of this study was to describe the change in student WA scores before and after a one-semester writing intensive course.…”

“…Writing skills are one of the most important skills college graduates need to possess (Ahrens, Meyers, Irlbeck, Burris, & Roach, 2016;Anderson, 2014;Lea & Street, 1998); however, graduates struggle to complete written communications proficiently in the workforce (Belkin, 2015;Leef, 2013). Depending on the chosen field, college graduates will spend at least 20% of their time writing various pieces of communication (e.g., emails, reports, resumes, and letters) (Anderson, 2014).…”

“…Writing apprehension (WA) is one of the main factors hindering students' motivation to write and confidence to complete writing responsibilities (Ahrens et al, 2016;Lea & Street, 1998). WA refers to the student's fear, anxiety and/or avoidance of writing in academic and professional settings (Daly & Miller, 1975).…”

Examining the role of feedback on agricultural communications students’ writing self-efficacy and self-determined motivation

“…In order to improve students' writing skills, faculty should understand how students perceive the feedback they provide. Feedback plays a powerful role in helping students become effective writers and can serve as an important source of self-confidence (Ahrens et al, 2016). Previous studies in agricultural communications have loosely explored how feedback influences agricultural communications students' beliefs about writing.…”