Classroom communication apprehension: Does being male or female make a difference?

Abstract

This study investigated college students’ classroom communication apprehension (CCA) to determine if differences exist for male and female students and students with male and female instructors. The Class Apprehension Participation Scale (CAPS) (Neer, 1987) was completed by 307 students enrolled in small communication classes at two Western universities. Analysis of variance indicated female students are more apprehensive than male students, but students are not significantly less apprehensive with female instructors as compared to male instructors. The results also indicated no significant interaction between sex of student and sex of instructor.