Creating and Teaching Special Sections of a Public Speaking Course for Apprehensive Students: A Multi-Case Study

This study explored how university professors describe the development and operation of a special communication apprehension (CA) section of a basic public speaking course that is part of a core curriculum requirement. The professors interviewed pointed out the need for more media for instructors and students. They described their efforts in detail and said the CA sections were time consuming, yet rewarding for both faculty and students. Several questions for future research include: Where there is a core curriculum requirement for a public speaking course, what is being done to help the students with high CA? If many of the programs from Foss\u27 (1982) survey are no longer in operation, what happened to them? Where is the media and information to aid college instructors who want to set up a CA section of a required class? As a recent national survey indicated, a majority of universities see the necessity for treatment programs, but lack innovative ways to structure programs within budget and departmental restraints (Raker, 1992)