Investigation into Non-Academic Staff Communication Apprehension in Using English Language

Abstract

The ability to communicate confidently in the English language is highly demanded of administrative officers in an organisation dealing with international clientele. However, the ability could be impeded due to high apprehension level. The study was conducted to investigate the communication apprehension among the administrative officers in a public university in Malaysia. To measure the level of apprehension in various settings, an instrument-PRCA 24 (McCroskey and JcCroskey, 1988) was distributed to 150 officers holding various positions in different departments. The findings indicate that the officers experience a moderate level of apprehension. Additionally, females were reported to be more apprehensive in all communication settings. Another finding is, with regards to the types of communication, public speaking was found to have caused the highest apprehension while interpersonal communication the least. A conclusion that can be drawn is apprehension level is influenced by the nature of the communication. The more formal the communication is, the higher the apprehension level will be. An important implication is the need to develop (introduce) continuous in house training to lessen the level of anxiety among the staff should be considered. Contribution/ Originality: This study is one of very few studies which have investigated the phenomenon of communication apprehension among administrative staff at a university. Besides, this paper's primary contribution is finding the areas where most of communication apprehension in using English occurs, namely in the context of meeting and public speaking.

Identifying English language needs among administrative support staff in a Malaysian Public University: A preliminary study

“…As such the need for all UMK staff, especially the administrative support staff to master the English language, particularly in speaking skill is becoming more significant. This finding is consistent with the claim by Jusoh et al (2018) that university administrative staff mainly use English when dealing with foreign staff or students. Similarly, Hassan and Ong (2019) reported that within the tourism context, English is being used the most during inquiring about international tourist's information and needs.…”

“…They found out that public university non-academic officers showed moderate levels of apprehension and the highest level of apprehension was found in English public speaking context. The study also concluded that female officers were more apprehensive in all those four communicative settings compared to men (Jusoh et al, 2018). In contrast to the study by Jusoh et al (2018) which focused mainly on the four settings, the current study expanded the communicative settings at the workplace to 15 tasks that administrative support staff may involve in and use English.…”

“…A study conducted by Jusoh et al (2018) examined the level of apprehension in four (4) settings which were during group discussion, meeting, interpersonal and public speaking among non-academic officers at a Malaysian public university. They found out that public university non-academic officers showed moderate levels of apprehension and the highest level of apprehension was found in English public speaking context.…”

“…In contrast to the study by Jusoh et al (2018) which focused mainly on the four settings, the current study expanded the communicative settings at the workplace to 15 tasks that administrative support staff may involve in and use English. In addition to that, Jusoh et al (2018) proposed to have continuous in-house training to reduce the level of anxiety among staff, especially the non-academic staff.…”

“…Based on those studies mentioned, it is notable that only a few studies are being conducted to explore English usage within the context of Malaysian public universities. To date, only a few studies (Abdullah, 2014;Jassim, 2020;Jusoh et al, 2018;Yuit & Imm, 2009) were carried out focusing on English usage among Malaysian administrative staff of public university, thus it is essential to conduct a needs analysis on the use of English language among administrative support staff especially in the context of UMK. The findings of this study will provide insights among administrative staff who are also involved in interaction with foreign stakeholders.…”