STUDENT SELF-CONCEPT MODIFICATION IN COMMUNICATION COURSES: AN EXPLORATION OF THE SOURCES OF CONFLICTING FINDINGS

CRAIG ALAN NEWBURGER, Purdue University

Abstract

Strong theoretical support exists that student self-concept modification should be stimulated by experience in a basic speech course. Collectively, the findings of studies pertaining to student self-concept modification in communication courses (SSCMCC) are contradictory. The purpose of this study is to identify the sources of the inconsistencies in the previous findings. This goal is accomplished through the review and analysis of SSCMCC and related "self" literature. Four hypotheses that emerge from the review are presented and tested (different kinds of training affect student self-concept in different ways; scale bias affects measurement of student self-concept; male and female self-concepts change differently; course grade affects student self-concept). Four different instruments are administered among subjects drawn from communication, freshman English, psychology, and biology courses. Of the four sections of each course sampled, two sections respond to two scales--one measuring general self-concept and the other measuring self-concept as a communicator. The remaining two sections respond to two different instruments measuring the same variables. The findings of this study demonstrate the difficulty of isolating experience in individual courses as a source of self-concept change. The findings further suggest that self-concept change is dynamic and should be studied as an individual phenomenon. Finally, the findings suggest that future SSCMCC research might focus on the development of instruments emphasizing criterion validity. The assessment of how student self-concept scores predict student speech communication capabilities, leading to the development of specific self-concept enhancement instructional strategies that build better communicators would be the intention of such research.

Degree

Ph.D.

Subject Area

Communication

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