Differences of communication skills between a population of students in the preparatory year from College of Sharia and College of Theology in the light of Communication Skills course delivery

Abstract

The present study aims to identify differences between a population of students in the preparatory year from College of Sharia and College of Theology in communication skills. The population of the study consisted of 346 students registered at Al-Imam Muhammad Ibn Saud Islamic University and whose ages range between ages of 17 to 20 (with a median age of 17.4). The sample comprises a group from the preparatory year program (Humanities, Applied and Management). Another group came from level one, Colleges of Sharia and Theology. The study applied the scale of communication skills prepared by the authors. Findings show that there were statistically significant differences in communication skills among the three sections of the population inclining towards the students of the preparatory year. The results also showed that there are positive significant correlations in the communication skills. The study finds significant differences in listening and cognition skills among the students of the preparatory year inclining towards students of humanities and management, while the differences related to skills of alertness and communication (whether individually or electronically) are not significant according disciplines.