Communication Apprehension when Speaking English (L2): A Case Study of Personnel in an Organization Taking Care of Public Health Located in the Suburb of Bangkok, Thailand

Abstract

Communication Apprehension (CA) is a construct that has been studied in many fields.  In this study, CA in English (L2) was investigated among personnel in a bureau providing medical services for public. The three main aims of this research were to: (1) compare the personnel CA in L2 (English) with CA in L1 (Thai), (2) determine which demographic data affected their CA in L2, and (3) investigate the ways they cope with their high CA in L2.  In order to accomplish the three aims, a mixed-method research study was conducted, starting with a quantitative study done with 92 questionnaires returned from the bureau.  T-test analysis and an ANOVA test were applied. The t-test analysis results revealed that there was a significant difference of CA in the personnel of this bureau when using L1 and L2.  Moreover, the t-Test also revealed that their CA levels in L1 and L2 were moderate.  In addition, the ANOVA test exhibited that the number of years working with the bureau and work position affected their CA in L2 differently.  Finally, in-depth interviews were conducted with six people with high and moderate CA. The interviews were transcribed into verbatim transcriptions and coded according to themes on how they coped with communication apprehension in L2.  The NVivo 10 software program was used to help check the data’s accuracy.  The interview results reflected that personnel with high CA in L2 struggled when they had to communicate in English.