Communicating competently in graduate school: a conditional process analysis using self-regulation

Abstract

Communication skills are necessary to succeed in graduate school. Building from the theory of self-regulation, this study investigated the effects of communication competence on one aspect of graduate students’ success (i.e., learning). Moderated mediation was hypothesized to exist within the communication competence–learning relationship. Graduate students (N = 184) from across the United States completed a self-report questionnaire and the results of a conditional process analysis revealed the effect of communication competence on learning was mediated by graduate students’ question-asking; yet, this indirect relationship was moderated by self-efficacy with highly efficacious students being more likely to derive the intended academic benefits.