Vol. 3 N9. 1 Fall 1976 06"1- THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN COMMUNICATION APPREHENSION AND ACADEl\'1IC ACHIEVEMENT AMONG COLLEGE STUDENTS JAMES C. McCROSKEY and JANIS F. ANDERSEN West Virginia University A series of studies are reported which indicate that high communication apprehensives have lower academic achievement in traditional interaction-oriented educational sys- tems than low communication apprehensives. but that no similar relationship exists in a communication-restricted educational system. Data are also reported indicating that high communication apprehensives prefer mass lecture classes over small classes while moderate and low communication apprehensives' preferences are the reverse. The implications of these results for choosing or designing instructional systems are discus- sed. . Communication between teacher and student plays a major role in traditional learning environ- ments. Teachers must communicate with students for students to achieve maximum learning. It is through the process of communication that teachers translate the course content into a symbolic code which can be decoded and interpreted by students. Teachers who fail in this communication fail in their responsibility to educate students. Student achievement is also partly determined by the student's communication behaviors. First, classroom questioning aids the student in concept clarification and concept integration. Second, stu- dents participate in determining the pace of content presentation through verbal and/or nonverbal feed- back that communicates to the teacher whether learning has occurred. On the basis of this informa- tion, the teacher may decide to review old material, offer additional information to explain old con- cepts, or introduce a new idea. Third, in some classrooms, student communication is p~rceived to be so important that it is directly linked to evaluation of Source performance. In these classrooms, a class participation evaluation is part of the course design andcommunication performance is directly influen- tial on course grade. Communication between teachers and students is not always adequate. There are two major barriers to sufficient teacher-student interaction. Large class size is the most frequently noted barrier. The more students enrolled in a class, the less time for indi- vidual students to express their ideas in class. Nationwide, elementary and secondary teachers are citing reduced class size as an important concern in negotiation and bargaining meetings with school boards. Teachers argue that large classes do not allow time to communicate with all students and, thus, inhibit student learning. The several- hundred-student college lecture class has also been extensively criticized as being impersonal and inef- fective. Some educators have argued for its elimina- tion on the grounds that it does not allow for the amount of student-teacher interaction necessary for adequate student questioning, feedback, and learn- ing. Most educators agree that increased class size results in decreased communication potential be- tween students and teachers. Many further agree that large classes are detrimental to learning due to this decr~ased interaction potential. The second major barrier to classroom interaction manifests its effect primarily in smaller classes. Even if there is ample opportunity for student- teacher interaction, some students are functionally unable to communicate because of communication apprehension. These students are so anxious about communication with teachers and other students that their anxiety interferes with their communica- tion efforts. Based on a series of recent research