Associations between Nonverbal Behaviors and Initial Impressions of Instructor Competence and Course Content in Videotaped Distance Education Courses

This study investigates the relationship between nonverbal behavior and initial impressions of instructor competence and course content within the context of instructional videotapes used in distance education courses. Four 10‐minute segments of introductory lectures from videotaped distance education courses were shown to 8 undergraduate classes in speech communication, with 2 classes viewing each videotape. After watching the videotapes, the 180 students rated the instructor's involvement/enthusiasm, expressiveness/warmth, fluency/ composure, articulation/clarity, and eye contact. Students also judged the instructor's competence (in terms of likability and trustworthiness) and the course content (in terms of interest and value). In line with our hypotheses, results indicated that instructors who are viewed as expressive, warm, and involved are most likely to be judged as highly competent. In addition, when instructors are expressive, warm, involved, and articulate, their course content is likely to be j...

[1]  J. Brophy.  Synthesis of Research on Strategies for Motivating Students to Learn. , 1987 .

[2]  Never smile until Christmas? Casting doubt on an old myth , 1987 .

[3]  M. Zuckerman,et al.  What sounds beautiful is good: The vocal attractiveness stereotype , 1988 .

[4]  Voice Tone and Persuasion , 1980 .

[5]  Jerold L. Hale,et al.  The fundamental topoi of relational communication , 1984 .

[6]  Jon F. Nussbaum,et al.  Three investigations exploring relationships between perceived teacher communication behaviors and student learning , 1981 .

[7]  D. Cegala,et al.  Interaction Involvement: A Cognitive Dimension of Communicative Competence. , 1981 .

[8]  C. Segrin.  The effects of nonverbal behavior on outcomes of compliance gaining attempts , 1993 .

[9]  J. Romano,et al.  Social validation of a component model of assertive behavior. , 1980, Journal of consulting and clinical psychology.

[10]  T. Newby,et al.  Instruction: Classroom lecture/discussion vs. Live televised instruction: A comparison of effects on student performance, attitude, and interaction , 1989 .

[11]  Michael Z. Hackman,et al.  Instructional communication in the televised classroom: The effects of system design and teacher immediacy on student learning and satisfaction , 1990 .

[12]  J. Gorham,et al.  Effects of immediacy on recall of information , 1988 .

[13]  Judee K. Burgoon,et al.  The Effects of Vocalics and Nonverbal Sensitivity on Compliance A Replication and Extension , 1986 .

[14]  R. Rubin,et al.  Elements of teacher communication competence , 1986 .

[15]  A. Mehrabian.  Some referents and measures of nonverbal behavior , 1968 .

[16]  J. Burgoon,et al.  Nonverbal Communication: The Unspoken Dialogue , 1988 .

[17]  David R. Brandt,et al.  On Linking Social Performance with Social Competence: Some Relations between Communicative Style and Attributions of Interpersonal Attractiveness and Effectiveness. , 1979 .

[18]  Diane M. Christophel,et al.  College teacher immediacy and student ratings of instruction , 1996 .

[19]  R. Wiseman,et al.  The effects of verbal and nonverbal teacher immediacy on perceived cognitive, affective, and behavioral learning in the multicultural classroom , 1990 .

[20]  Jacob Cohen,et al.  Applied multiple regression/correlation analysis for the behavioral sciences , 1979 .

[21]  J. Burgoon,et al.  Applying a social meaning model to relational message interpretations of conversational involvement: Comparing observer and participant perspectives , 1991 .

[22]  Virginia P. Richmond,et al.  The Relationship Between Selected Immediacy Behaviors and Cognitive Learning , 1987 .

[23]  J. Brophy,et al.  Conceptualizing student motivation , 1983 .

[24]  M. Moore.  Editorial: Three types of interaction , 1989 .

[25]  Ann Bainbridge Frymier.  A model of immediacy in the classroom , 1994 .

[26]  John W. McCutcheon,et al.  Verbal versus Nonverbal Cues in Evaluations of Teaching. , 1994 .

[27]  Laura K. Guerrero,et al.  Nonverbal Involvement Across Interactions with Same-Sex Friends, Opposite-Sex Friends and Romantic Partners: Consistency or Change? , 1997 .

[28]  Jerold L. Hale,et al.  Validation and measurement of the fundamental themes of relational communication , 1987 .

[29]  J. Cappella.  Mutual influence in expressive behavior: adult--adult and infant--adult dyadic interaction. , 1981, Psychological bulletin.

[30]  A. Mehrabian.  Attitudes inferred from non-immediacy of verbal communications , 1967 .

[31]  Judee K. Burgoon,et al.  The Nature of Conversational Involvement and Nonverbal Encoding Patterns , 1987 .

[32]  J. F. Andersen.  Teacher Immediacy as a Predictor of Teaching Effectiveness , 1979 .

[33]  Brian H. Spitzberg,et al.  A COMPONENT MODEL OF RELATIONAL COMPETENCE , 1984 .

[34]  D. Keegan.  Problems in Defining the Field of Distance Education , 1988 .

[35]  J. Burgoon,et al.  Nonverbal Behaviors, Persuasion, and Credibility , 1990 .

[36]  Brian H. Spitzberg,et al.  The measurement of interpersonal skills in instructional contexts , 1987 .

[37]  D. Greenwald.  The behavioral assessment of differences in social skill and social anxiety in female college students , 1977 .

[38]  Jerold L. Hale,et al.  Relational Messages Associated with Nonverbal Behaviors. , 1984 .

[39]  Jon F. Nussbaum,et al.  Effective teacher behaviors , 1992 .

[40]  J. Gorham.  The relationship between verbal teacher immediacy behaviors and student learning , 1988 .

[41]  Diane M. Christophel.  The relationships among teacher immediacy behaviors, student motivation, and learning , 1990 .

[42]  Michael F. Beaudoin.  The instructor's changing role in distance education , 1990 .

[43]  Bruce O. Barker,et al.  Broadening the Definition of Distance Education in Light of the New Telecommunications Technologies. , 1989 .

[44]  Ann Bainbridge Frymier.  The impact of teacher immediacy on students' motivation: Is it the same for all students? , 1993 .