Overcoming High Communication Anxiety of Trainee-nurses with a Two-dimensional Approach at the Zuarungu Health Training School, Ghana

Authors

  • Azumah Alhassan

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14738/assrj.212.1469

Abstract

High communication anxiety (HCA) dispossesses individuals’ inter-personal communication skills that are needed in the academia and at other public places. Admittedly, research on HCA abounds but lack holistic remediation in providing a comprehensive cure. In Ghana, knowledge on how teachers can effectively manage HCA and its instruction is limited. Moreover, most teachers have limited knowledge of how instruction may be ineffective due to HCA.

Interestingly, nursing is constantly evolving. And to-be-nurses who have high communication anxiety may suffer many effects while in training and in practice if their HCA is not ameliorated. Because, nurses, by the nature of their work, cannot be shy, avoid public communication or inter-personal relations that are needed in providing effective health service.

 This study was to actualize classroom participation in order to reduce the HCA of 50 to-be-nurses with a two-dimensional approach involving communication instruction and motivational persuasive contexts that co-constructed inter-personal communication relations. The study resulted in reducing trainees’ fear of speaking in public and great improvement in their 2014/2015 second semester GPAs.

References

Adler, R. B. (1980). ‘Integrating reticence management into the basic communication curriculum’. Communication Education, 29, 215 – 221.

Beatty, M. J. (1988). ‘Situational and predispositional correlates of public speaking anxiety’. Communication Education, 37, 28 – 39.

Carnegie, D. (1955). Public speaking and influencing men in business. New York, NY: American Book Stratford Press, Inc.

Dwyer, K. K. (2000). ‘The multidimensional model: Teaching students to selfGmanage high communication apprehension by selfGselecting treatments’. Communication Education, 49, 72 – 81.

MacIntyre, P. D., Babin, P. A. & Clement, R. (1999). ‘Willingness to communicate: Antecedents & Consequences’. Communication Quarterly, 47, 215 – 229.

McCroskey, J. C. (2001). An introduction to rhetorical communication. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

McCroskey, J. C. (1982). An introduction to rhetorical communication (4th Ed). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: PrenticeGHall.

McCroskey, J. C. & Andersen, J. F. (1976). ‘The relationship between communication apprehension and academic achievement among college students’. Human Communication Research, 3, 73 – 81.

McCroskey, J. C. & Leppard, T. (1975). The effects of communication apprehension on nonverbal behaviour. Paper presented to the Eastern Communication Association Convention, New York, NY.

Academic Board Minutes (2011/2012). Zuarungu Health Training School, Bolgatanga.

Pearson, J. C., Nelson, P. E., Titsworth, S. & Harter, L. (2003). Human Communication. Boston: McGraw Hill.

Richmond, V. P. & McCroskey, J. C. (1992). Communication: Apprehension, Avoidance and Effectiveness. (3rd ed.). Scottsdale, AZ: Gorsuch Scarisbrick.

Witt, P. L., Brown, K. C., Roberts, J. B., Weisel, J., Sawyer, C., & Behnke, R. (2006, March). ‘Somatic anxiety patterns before, during and after giving a public speech’. Southern Communication Journal, 71, 87–100

Downloads

Published

2015-12-28

How to Cite

Alhassan, A. (2015). Overcoming High Communication Anxiety of Trainee-nurses with a Two-dimensional Approach at the Zuarungu Health Training School, Ghana. Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, 2(12). https://doi.org/10.14738/assrj.212.1469