A qualitative exploration of oral communication apprehension

Prior research has identified communication apprehension (CA), or fear of communicating, as a major factor which inhibits an individual's willingness to communicate and his/her capability to develop effective communication skills. While many prior studies have measured oral communication apprehension of students, there has been little qualitative exploration of the phenomenon. This study was conducted by interviewing first-year business end accounting students at a higher education institution in Ireland who were identtfief as encountering varying levels of oral communication apprehension. Thee experiences of the students in communicating in different contexts nee analysed and the impact of factors, such as fear of peet evaluation, prior dTmmunication experiences, and preparation, are considered. © 2015 Taylor & Francis. All rights reserved.