Undergraduate Students’ Perceptions about Problems of Personal Values and Beliefs and their Impact on Interpersonal Communication for Community Development

Abstract

The objectives of this research were 1) to survey the opinions of a group of sample undergraduate students on personal values and beliefs; 2) to analyze the relationship of the variable of gender with the impact of personal values and beliefs on community development; 3) to analyze the relationship of the variable of gender with the impact of interpersonal communication on community development; and 4) to form recommendations on how to solve problems related to personal values and beliefs that impact interpersonal communication and community development. The research method employed both qualitative and quantitative data collection methods, including a questionnaire and focus group discussions. The quantitative data showed that 18 of the samples (17.47%) placed the greatest importance on the value of thinking outside the box and creating differentiation. For personal beliefs, 14 of the samples (13.59%) gave the highest score to the belief that everything in life is not accidental and people have the agency to develop if they put in sincere effort. The following relationships were found to be statistically significant at .05 confidence level: the relationship of the variable of gender to the impact of personal values on community development had a chi square value .007 so the hypothesis was supported. The relationship of the variable of gender to the impact of personal beliefs on community development had a chi square value .091 so the hypothesis was rejected. The relationship of the variable of gender to the impact of interpersonal communication on community development had a chi square value = .001 and the hypothesis was upheld. Qualitative data from the group discussions indicated that the majority of samples strongly agreed that personal values and beliefs affect communication to develop relationships with other people and can have a positive impact on community development. They perceived that even if people began with differing values and beliefs, they could reach an agreement to better align their values and engage in friendly communication. This can create cooperation to prevent and solve problems in the community and to achieve effective community development.