| This study carries forward the exploration of a link between students' perceptions of the impact of the basic oral communication course and their development as communicators. The subjects were 130 university college students enrolled in the basic oral communication course at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. All participants completed a self-administered questionnaire designed to assess students' perceptions of their own learning, as well as the impact of that learning on their personal communication development. Participants were asked to describe their cognitive, affective, and behavioral development, as a result of the basic oral communication class, as well as identify the following content areas which contributed to their communication development: listening, self-presentation, nonverbal communication, critical thinking, intercultural sensitivity, self-disclosure, empathy, ethics, self-esteem, and public speaking.;The findings revealed that approximately 69% of the participants reported positive growth as a result of the basic oral communication course. Public speaking was the content area most frequently identified by participants, followed by listening and nonverbal communication, respectively. An overwhelming number of students (85%) described their personal communication development in cognitive terms and almost half reported changes in their behavior as a result of the basic oral communication course. Age and gender were not significant factors in personal communication development, however, year in school was important for freshmen students. The data strongly suggest that students perceive the basic oral communication course as having a strong and positive effect on their personal communication development. |
