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Description:
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Mass communications majors have chosen academic careers and professional fields , such as advertising , journalism , and public relations , which require students to produce numerous written products . Besides effective writing skills , mass communications students must learn specific computer skills to assist them in relaying messages to their intended audiences .
The purpose of this study was to determine whether writing and computer apprehension exist among mass communications writing students majoring in advertising , journalism , and public relations , and whether taking certain mass communications writing courses affected students' apprehension levels .
The subjects in this study included a convenience sample of advertising , journalism , and public relations students enrolled in the first - and second -year mass communications writing courses in the School of Mass Communications at Texas Tech University during the fall 2002 semester . A pre - and posttest questionnaire were used to collect data regarding students' levels of writing and computer apprehension .
The data suggested the following : (1 ) first -year students' overall writing anxiety statistically significantly decreased from the beginning of the semester to the end of the semester , (2 ) second -year students' overall writing anxiety statistically significantly decreased from the beginning of the semester to the end of the semester , (3 ) first -year students' computer anxiety slightly increased from the beginning of the semester to the end of the semester , (4 ) second -year students' computer anxiety slightly decreased from the beginning of the semester to the end of the semester , (5 ) first - and second -year students experienced basically the same levels of writing and computer apprehension during the semester , (6 ) a significant difference existed between first -year journalism and public relations students' pretest writing apprehension levels , (7 ) first -year advertising , journalism , and public relations students experienced basically the same levels of posttest writing and pre - and posttest computer apprehension levels during the semester , (8 ) second -year advertising , journalism , and public relations students experienced basically the same levels of writing and computer apprehension during the semester , (9 ) first -year male and female students experienced basically the same levels of writing and computer apprehension during the semester , and (10 ) second -year male and female students experienced basically the same levels of writing and computer apprehension during the semester . |