Instructors often struggle with how to make sense of and handle hurtful student course evaluation comments. These comments can be difficult to resolve when they move from constructive course criticisms to hurtful comments about an instructor's race, gender, appearance, or personality. Relying on the Meaning Making Model (MMM), this study explored…

This study used rhetorical and relational goal theory to examine the different ways college instructors respond to disruptive behaviors by students in the classroom. Student participants provided and described a critical incident involving a disruptive classmate that either was or was not handled effectively by the instructor. Results identified…

Using Attribution Theory as a theoretical framework, this study explored the role of forgiveness in impacting student nonverbal responsiveness, out-of-class communication (OCC), and perceptions of cognitive and affective learning following instructor misbehavior. Additionally, the role of instructor nonverbal immediacy was examined. Participants…

This study investigates college student perceptions of instructor credibility based on the content of an instructor's Twitterfeed and student beliefs about Twitter as a communication tool. Quantitative and qualitative methods were utilized to explore the effects of three manipulated Twitter feeds (e.g., tweeting social topics, professional topics,…

Using systems theory as a lens, instructor misbehaviors were examined in the context of the college classroom to determine if student-to-student connectedness mediated the relationships between instructor misbehaviors and student involvement and affective learning. Student-to-student connectedness mediated the relationships between instructor…

Finds that: (1) the perception of instructor behavior most closely linked to the frequency and length of out-of-class communication is verbal immediacy; (2) frequency of informal contact was related also to nonverbal immediacy and trust; and (3) student motivation correlated positively with the frequency of both kinds of contact and to the length…

Finds that undergraduate student perceptions of caring on the part of their teachers were substantially associated with the students' evaluation of their teachers, their affective learning, and their perceptions of their cognitive learning. Calls for research which helps to identify the specific teacher behaviors which communicate caring to…

Finds that (1) teacher affinity-seeking strategies are positively and significantly associated with students' perceptions of teachers' competence and character, indicating that such strategies may assist in developing teacher credibility; (2) perceptions of teacher credibility and use of affinity-seeking strategies are positively and significantly…

Explores the relationships among teacher characteristics and perceived caring. Gives a description of characteristics or behaviors that make teachers effective. Notes the students' perception of their teachers' caring and gives a prediction of teacher caring. (SG)

Investigates the empirical relationships between student ratings of teachers and student-reported performance. Finds that students discriminate between sociability and qualification-related aspects of teacher performance and that student ratings were not the product of "easy" grading practices. (SR)

Expands the literature on the educational role of immediacy by exploring the relationship between touch during student/professor interactions and students' evaluations of the professor and the interaction. Indicate that student sex, professor reward value, and location of touch have significant influence on students' evaluations of professors and…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of an instructor's nonverbal immediacy behaviors and course-workload demands on student perceptions of instructor credibility and student higher-order affective learning. H1 and H2 predicted that an instructor's nonverbal immediacy behaviors would neutralize the instructor's violations of…

Explores associations among student perceptions of instructor aggressive communication, perceived understanding, instructor credibility, and instructor evaluations. Affirms the importance of instructor communication behaviors that facilitate understanding and allow students to communicate successfully with their instructors. Supports the notion…

Investigates what specific teacher nonverbal immediacy behaviors are most associated with students' evaluations of their teachers. Uses data from Australia, Finland, Puerto Rico, and the United States. Compares the relationship between nonverbal immediacy and teacher evaluation across diverse cultural and linguistic communities as well as…

Finds that more formal dress (business suits, dress shoes) was associated with increased ratings of teaching assistants' competence, particularly for female students rating female instructors. Shows, however, that contrary to common assumptions, the most positive influences of instructor dress were found in the highly casual condition (faded…