The validity of the communication competency assessment instrument

Abstract

This study reports validity information on one measure of communication competence, the Communication Competency Assessment Instrument (CCAI). Conceptual validity of the CCAI was demonstrated in prior research. This study, in confirming operational validity, found that self‐reported measures correlated only slightly with observations of students' actual behaviors, while holistic impressions of competence were wholly consistent with the CCAI ratings. Also, students' persuasive speech grades and instructors' impressions correlated with the CCAI measure, adding to reification, or convergent validity. Elaboration validity analysis discovered that argumentativeness was unrelated to CCAI scores. However, a relationship existed between knowledge and skill, lending credence to the notion that impressions formed about others' communication competence involves judgments of behavioral appropriateness as well as knowledge about the communication process.

Notes

Rebecca B. Rubin is Associate Professor of Speech Communication, Kent State University.