The ecology of academic risk: relationships between communication apprehension, verbal aggression, supportive communication, and students’ academic risk status

Abstract

Contemporary research exploring at‐risk student populations has generally used the epidemiological model, the constructivist model, or the ecological model to explain processes involved in academic risk. This study applies communication constructs to the ecological model of academic risk, which proposes that academic risk is a function of individual, social, and cultural communication phenomena. A survey of 232 students found that (a) at‐risk students communicated more with friends about school than did regular‐admission students, (b) levels of communication apprehension differed depending on at‐risk status and sex, and (c) levels of verbal aggression differed depending on at‐risk status. These results are discussed in terms of theoretical and applied implications.

Keywords:

• Communication Needs of Students At‐Risk
• Academic Success
• Communication Apprehension
• Academic Support

Notes

Lance R. Lippert and Stephen K. Hunt are at the Department of Communication, Illinois State University. B. Scott Titsworth is at the School of Communication Studies, Ohio University. This paper was presented to the Communication Education Interest Group, Central States Communication Association Convention, 2001. Correspondence to: Lance Lippert, Department of Communication, Campus Box 4480, Illinois State University, Normal, IL 61790, USA. Tel: [phone]; Email: [email protected]

See the National Learning Communities Project website for additional information: http://learningcommons.evergreen.edu/home.asp

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Lance R. Lippert

Lance R. Lippert and Stephen K. Hunt are at the Department of Communication, Illinois State University. B. Scott Titsworth is at the School of Communication Studies, Ohio University. This paper was presented to the Communication Education Interest Group, Central States Communication Association Convention, 2001. Correspondence to: Lance Lippert, Department of Communication, Campus Box 4480, Illinois State University, Normal, IL 61790, USA. Tel: [phone]; Email: [email protected]