Many studies using Self-Determination Theory (SDT) as a theoretical platform have emphasized the importance of knowing students' motivational orientations in education, and stated that autonomy-supportive or controlling learning climates are significant to determine students' motivational resources, academic achievement, and classroom engagement.…

This project gathered information on the important components and features of distance education courseware identified by faculty teaching in the Great Plains Interactive Distance Education Alliance. Respondents indicated that they were most interested in features that helped with course management, allowed them to update and post course materials…

A group of 195 students enrolled in various communications courses at General Motors Institute filled out course evaluation forms which were then factor analyzed. Items involving an evaluation of teachers accounted for 69% of the variation. Items about course objectives, amount of work in relation to credit, textbooks, tests, and assignments were…

A study investigated the impact of teachers' use of immediacy behaviors in the college classroom. Behavior patterns of teachers often affect the behavior patterns of students. Teacher immediacy has been found to positively impact student cognitive, affective, and behavioral learning. Subjects, 70 students, enrolled in a communication course in a…

A study defined more clearly the role of apprehension, motivation, and gender in student questioning. A survey of 118 questions was given to 156 students enrolled in an introductory communication course. The questions were designed to study student perception of the nature of questioning and to examine student-related and instructor-related…

Students in the Mississippi State University Department of Agricultural and Extension Education (138) completed a questionnaire designed to identify variables that might cause communication problems in the classes taught in that department. Uncomfortable seating, lack of visual aids, and lack of handouts were the three most important problems…

When students do not enjoy communicating, and when teachers fail to communicate or to understand why their students are not communicating, opportunities for learning are lost. Research and theory about communication apprehension offer ways of understanding and dealing with this important barrier to learning. (MSE)

This research tries to determine effective intercultural classroom communication in the American higher education setting. Theories on classroom communication and intercultural communication (Uncertainty Reduction and Communication Accommodation) are used to build the framework. Subjects were four professors from three different academic…

Data analyzed from Communication Climate and Student Questionnaires confirmed the following hypotheses: (1) liked classes have a more supportive and less defensive communication climate than disliked classes, and (2) student behavior in classes with a defensive communication climate is characterized by the use of coping mechanisms (daydreaming,…

Teacher immediacy has surfaced as an important instructional communication variable, yet little is known about how it functions to effect learning. To offer an explanation as to how teacher immediacy facilitates learning, a study investigated implicit communication theory. Subjects consisted of 625 undergraduate students who completed…

Teacher immediacy and use of power have surfaced as important instructional communication variables, yet little is known about how they function to effect learning. To offer an explanation as to how teacher immediacy and use of power facilitates learning, a study investigated implicit communication theory. Subjects consisted of 625 undergraduate…

A questionnaire was distributed to faculty members to determine which of the four basic language skills (reading, writing, listening, speaking) were most essential to nonnative speaker success in university classes. The receptive skills of reading and listening were ranked first. Implications for teaching and curriculum development are given.…

A study was conducted to analyze the role that nonverbal communication plays in classroom climate. A 40-item classroom communication climate questionnaire was developed, and administered to 76 students and 8 teachers to determine its reliability and validity. After several changes and deletions, the final version of the questionnaire was…

To provide normative data concerning what actually occurs during initial classroom interaction on the university level, a study described the first day activities of multiple classrooms across the academy at a large midwestern university. The following research questions were addressed: (1) what introductory material does the instructor provide?…

A study investigated the types of in-class, speaking-oriented activities that second language learners find anxiety-producing and the types of instructor practices that students perceive as anxiety-reducing. A 4-page questionnaire was administered to 135 university-level students of intensive Spanish and 109 high school students in first- and…