Scott A. Myers

Students’ motives for communicating with their instructors

The purpose of this study was to examine students’ motives for communicating with their instructors. Students were first asked why they communicate with their instructors. Based on their responses, a questionnaire was constructed that included these reasons and their interpersonal communication motives for communicating with their instructors. The results of a factor analysis identified five underlying reasons students communicate with their instructors: relational, functional, excuse, participation, and sycophancy. A canonical correlation analysis examined the relationship between these five reasons and participants’ trait interpersonal communication motives. Students who communicate with their instructors more often for all of the interpersonal communication motives tend to communicate more with their instructors to relate and participate, and to a lesser extent to offer excuses and for sycophantic reasons. The students who communicated for the interpersonal communication motive of control tended to com...

The Effect of Teacher Confirmation on Student Communication and Learning Outcomes

A live lecture experiment was conducted where teacher confirmation was manipulated (i.e., not confirming, somewhat confirming, confirming) across three college courses. After the lecture, students completed a post test assessing positive (i.e., student communication motives, student participation) and negative (i.e., challenge behaviors) communication behaviors they might engage in while taking a course with this instructor. Additionally, students reported on traditional learning outcomes (i.e., cognitive learning, affective learning, state motivation, student satisfaction) resulting from the lecture manipulation. Collectively, results indicated that teacher confirmation resulted in (a) more student communication for the relational, functional, and participatory motives and less communication for the excuse-making motive, (b) more student participation, (c) less challenge behavior, and (d) greater cognitive learning, affective learning, state motivation, and satisfaction.

Student Perceptions of Instructor Immediacy in Conventional and Distributed Learning Classrooms.

The purpose of this investigation was to examine whether perceptions of instructor immediacy differed between students enrolled in conventional and distributed learning classrooms. Students enrolled in conventional and distributed learning classrooms did not perceive a significant difference in instructor verbal immediacy, but they did perceive a significant difference in instructor nonverbal immediacy.

Argument and verbal aggression in constructive and destructive family and organizational disagreements

This study explored the extent to which argumentative and verbally aggressive behavior is perceived in family and organizational disagreement situations which are either constructive or destructive. The comparison of participants’ and observers’ perceptions was of interest. Three hypotheses were derived from a recently developed model of aggressive forms of communication. Participants (N = 137) described in writing an experienced family or organizational disagreement which was either constructive or destructive. Later, 137 persons (observers) read the descriptions. Both participants and observers rated the communication described in terms of argumentative and verbally aggressive conduct. Considerable support was observed for two of the three hypotheses. More argument and less verbal aggression were observed in constructive as compared to destructive disagreements regardless of context. More verbal aggression was reported in family as compared to organizational disagreements. Finally, participants, when co...

Perceived instructor argumentativeness and verbal aggressiveness in the college classroom: Effects on student perceptions of climate, apprehension, and state motivation

Because argumentativeness and verbal aggressiveness are associated with positive and negative relational outcomes, respectively (Infante & Rancer, 1996), we were interested in whether perceived instructor argumentativeness and verbal aggressiveness are related to college student perceptions of classroom climate, classroom apprehension, and state motivation. Participants were 236 undergraduate students enrolled in a variety of communication courses at a mid‐Atlantic university. Results indicate that (a) perceived instructor argumentativeness was not related to perceived classroom climate whereas perceived instructor verbal aggressiveness was negatively related to perceived classroom climate, (b) neither perceived instructor argumentativeness nor verbal aggressiveness was related to perceived student classroom apprehension, and (c) perceived instructor argumentativeness was positively related to perceived student state motivation whereas perceived instructor verbal aggressiveness was negatively related to perceived student state motivation.

The relationship between perceived instructor credibility and college student in‐class and out‐of‐class communication

This study explored the relationship between perceived instructor credibility (i.e., competence, character, caring) and student in‐class (i.e., willingness to talk) and out‐of‐class communication. Participants were 158 college students enrolled in an introductory communication course at a Mid‐Atlantic university. Results indicate (a) perceived instructor character and caring, but not perceived instructor competence, are positively related to student willingness to talk and (b) perceived instructor competence, character, and caring are positively related to student participation in student out‐of‐class communcation. Future research should explore the specific attributions made by students considered to constitute perceived instructor competence, character, and caring.

Instructor immediacy in the Chinese college classroom

The purpose of this study was to examine instructor immediacy in the Chinese and American classrooms, and its relationship with Chinese student learning. Participants were 302 undergraduate university students (140 Chinese students enrolled at Peking University in Beijing, China; 162 American students enrolled at a large Midwestern university). Results indicated that (a) Chinese students who received instruction from Chinese instructors perceived a lower amount of instructor nonverbal immediacy than American students who received instruction from American instructors, (b) Chinese students who received instruction from Chinese instructors perceived a lower amount of instructor verbal immediacy than American students who received instruction from American instructors, and (c) perceived Chinese student affective and cognitive learning is slightly correlated with particular Chinese instructor nonverbal and verbal immediacy behaviors.

The Relationship Between Perceived Instructor Aggressive Communication and College Student Involvement

This study investigated the link between college students’ perceptions of instructors’ aggressive communication and students’ involvement in and out of the classroom. Participants were 218 students enrolled in introductory communication courses. Results indicated that students’ reports of instructor argumentativeness were not positively associated with their motives to communicate, question asking, overt information seeking, interaction involvement, or out-of-class communication. Students’ reports of instructor verbal aggressiveness were negatively associated with their use of the relational, participatory, and functional motives to communicate as well as question asking, overt information seeking, interaction involvement, and out-of-class communication. Future research should consider the role students’ aggressive communication plays in their perceptions of their instructors, learning outcomes, and perceptions of the learning environment.

Perceived aggressive instructor communication and student state motivation, learning, and satisfaction

This study examined the relationship between perceived instructor aggressiveness (i.e., argumentativeness, verbal aggressiveness) and student outcomes (i.e., state motivation, affective learning, cognitive learning, satisfaction). Participants were 96 undergraduate students enrolled at a small midwestern university. Results indicate that students’ reports of instructors who are perceived as both high in argumentativeness and low in verbal aggressiveness were positively correlated with their own reports of state motivation, affective learning, cognitive learning, and satisfaction. Future research should continue to explore the role that perceived instructor argumentativeness and verbal aggressiveness plays in the college classroom.

Perceived instructor credibility and verbal aggressiveness in the college classroom

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships among perceived instructor credibility (i.e., competence, character, caring), perceived instructor verbal aggressiveness, and perceived instructor use of 10 primary types of verbally aggressive messages (i.e., character attacks, competence attacks, background attacks, physical appearance attacks, malediction, teasing, ridicule, threats, swearing, nonverbal emblems). Participants were 273 students enrolled in a variety of courses at a small midwestern university. Results indicated that (a) perceived instructor competence, character, and caring are all negatively correlated with perceived instructor verbal aggressiveness and (b) significant negative relationships exist between perceived instructor competence, character, and caring and perceived instructor use of the 10 types of verbally aggressive messages, with the exception of a nonsignificant relationship between perceived instructor competence and perceived instructor use of the teasing verbally aggressive message.