Problems Encountered by Public Administration Students on Their Communicative Competencies: Basis for Intervention

Abstract

Communication is a fundamental skill for public administration professionals, who must interact with diverse citizens and clearly convey policies and procedures. This study identified problems in the communicative competencies of Bachelor of Public Administration (BPA) students and proposed interventions to address these issues. A descriptive quantitative survey design was employed, using a structured questionnaire administered face-to-face. The respondents included 263 BPA students and 25 faculty members from Pangasinan State University Bayambang Campus during the academic year 2023–2024. Data were analyzed using frequency counts and percentages for students’ demographic profile, and weighted mean for the level of seriousness of communication problems. Results reveal that BPA students face moderately serious difficulties in communication, particularly in written tasks such as essay writing. Faculty members, however, perceive these student communication problems as serious, especially in oral communication (e.g., students’ reluctance to speak clearly in English). To address the identified problems, an intervention plan is proposed involving content-area writing workshops, collaborative writing activities, and public speaking exercises to build students’ confidence and proficiency in both written and oral communication. These findings underscore the need for targeted educational interventions to improve communicative competencies among public administration students.