This study replicated and extended a preliminary typology of appropriate and inappropriate teacher humor and advanced three explanations for differences in interpretations of teacher humor. Students were more likely to view teacher humor as inappropriate when it was perceived as offensive and when it demeaned students as a group or individually.…

Finds that communication apprehension has a negative relationship with students' motivation to study but that highly apprehensive students appeared to have a small increase in motivation when exposed to highly verbal immediate teachers. (SR)

Investigates the impact of teachers' use of immediacy behaviors on students' motivation to study. Finds that students beginning the semester with either low or moderate motivation to study increased their levels of motivation when exposed to a highly immediate teacher but that high motivation students maintained their level of motivation…

A study investigated the impact of teachers' use of immediacy behaviors on students' reported motivation to study over the course of a semester. The state and trait motivation of 178 undergraduate students (enrolled in communication courses at a mid-sized eastern university) to study for a class was measured at three points during the semester.…

Examines a variety of individual differences that may influence how students report their instructor's immediacy behaviors. Presents results from four studies, concluding that the individual differences examined do not influence the reporting of immediacy. Provides support for the use of student reports to measure teacher immediacy. (SR)

A study investigated the association between affinity-seeking strategies and teacher liking. Data were collected from 251 undergraduate students at the middle of the semester and 178 undergraduate students at the end of the semester on the behavior of an equal number of instructors. Respondents were asked to assess their chosen instructor's…

Tests two models (the Motivation Model and the Learning Model) of the immediacy-learning relationship using path analysis. Uses Keller's Model of Motivation to explain the results, finding that teacher nonverbal and verbal immediacy enhances student motivation, presumably by impacting attention, relevance, confidence, and satisfaction. (SR)

Instructors search for methods to enhance students' motivation and learning. Immediacy and relevance have been linked to increased motivation in the classroom. A study extended research by A. Frymier and G. Shulman (1995) that found immediacy and relevance to be associated with one another. A 2 (high and low immediacy) by 2 (high and low…

Within the framework of motivational theory, a study investigated how teachers' use of immediacy behaviors impacted students' learning. Two competing explanations for the immediacy-learning relationship (the motivation model and the attention model) were tested using path analyses with panel data collected over the period of one semester. A total…

The use of humor in the classroom has been investigated using a variety of humor operationalizations and methodologies with mixed results. The present study examined the role of teacher humor orientation (HO) rather than specific humorous behaviors. The relationship between teacher humor orientation and learning was the focus of this study.…

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…

Finds that a high humor orientation (HO) was associated with increased undergraduate student perceptions of learning; and that high HO students reported learning more with a high HO teacher. Examines perceived teacher humor orientation in relation to nonverbal immediacy and socio-communicative style. (SR)

Teacher immediacy has been a widely studied construct with the overall finding that being immediate is good. Verbal and nonverbal immediacy has been associated with increased motivation to study and learning. The most common methodology used to measure teacher immediacy has been student reports. An underlying assumption of this methodology is that…