Scholars of communication, teaching, and learning have been calling for more research on the instructor-student relationship to be studied from an interpersonal perspective. To answer these calls, we conducted a two-step scale development study, first to derive participant-generated responses concerning undergraduate student relational maintenance…

While researchers have acknowledged student trauma as a source of stress for graduate students, clinicians, and social workers, little research has grappled with the substantial influence of student trauma on faculty and professionals working in higher education. The support and guidance required by students who have experienced trauma or acute…

Because most instructional communication research has been conducted within the United States, the purpose of this study was to develop an enhanced understanding of the student--instructor relationship outside the United States using the instructional beliefs model and rhetorical and relational goals theory. Specifically, we examined the effects…

Online learning is not going away; in fact, it is growing exponentially. While some students and educators may have been forced into the online instructional realm under less-than-ideal circumstances due to COVID-19, the authors agree with Schwartzman (2020), who noted there is a benefit from this experience--shifting perspectives from a…

This qualitative study examines communicative processes associated with graduate students (N = 124) in their struggles with the impostor phenomenon (IP, commonly known as impostor syndrome) and their integration into and experience in graduate programs (aspects of organizational assimilation). We identified two mutually implicative relationships.…

Throughout the 2020-2021 academic year, college instructors struggled with how to accommodate the extenuating circumstances confronting students during the pandemic while, at the same time, maintaining course integrity. Instructors made decisions about accepting late assignments, extending deadlines, and relaxing attendance guidelines for students…

The present study investigated how course policies and enforcement strategies designed to curb classroom digital distraction affect undergraduates' perceptions of student-instructor rapport. Data gathered from online surveys completed by undergraduates at four United States universities revealed that student perceptions of rapport can be…

The purpose of the current investigation is to examine the self-reported messages and behaviors teachers enact to demonstrate their (in)authentic selves to students. Using a thematic analysis of open-ended survey responses from 51 collegiate instructors, results indicate that teachers demonstrate authenticity through "openness" and…

The purpose of this teaching experiment was to examine the causal effect of relevant (compared to irrelevant) instructor self-disclosure on student affect and cognitive learning. Undergraduate students (N = 288) were randomly assigned to a 19-minute classroom lecture with an instructor who taught the same lesson but self-disclosed either relevant…

This study incorporates communication accommodation theory to investigate how student perceptions of instructor nonaccommodation influence affective and cognitive classroom outcomes. A series of two-level hierarchical linear models (students nested within instructors) revealed significant, negative associations between specific modes of instructor…

Using Feminist Participatory Action Research, graduate and undergraduate students at a midsized, midwestern public university collaborated with investigators on welcoming and inclusive practices in the classroom through focus-group discussions. The research team conducted six focus-group sessions with 39 students from marginalized communities…

Mentoring is a key component in the socialization process for individuals into an institution, providing them with a guide to accruing the cultural and social capital that characterizes the particular field of experience (Bourdieu & Passeron, 2000). Indeed, it is the connection between mentoring and students' material realities that makes the…

In times of uncertainty, the messages we receive can be long-lasting and influential. This study sought to understand what memorable messages students recalled receiving from their instructors at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and what kind of impact those messages had on them. Based on open-ended responses, students (N = 297) recalled…

Two experiments examined the effect of teaching with content relevance strategies on student learning outcomes. In both experiments, college students were randomly assigned to one of three teaching conditions in which the instructor: (1) made no effort to teach the lesson content as relevant (control); (2) taught the same lesson content in a…

In this article, I offer a story, rendered in creative nonfiction, of my experience as a young and flustered college professor challenged by a defiant and disruptive graduate student. The story is followed by a critical reflection of the experience where I examine the role of communication and culture in regard to classroom disruptions and assess…