ERIC Number: EJ865197
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2009-Jul
Pages: 22
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0363-4523
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Instructor Credibility as a Mediator of Instructors' Prosocial Communication Behaviors and Students' Learning Outcomes
Schrodt, Paul; Witt, Paul L.; Turman, Paul D.; Myers, Scott A.; Barton, Matthew H.; Jernberg, Kodiane A.
Communication Education, v58 n3 p350-371 Jul 2009
This study tested two models of instructor credibility as a potential mediator of instructors' prosocial communication behaviors (e.g., confirmation, clarity, and nonverbal immediacy) and students' learning outcomes. Participants included 1,416 undergraduate students from four different institutions across the United States. Results of structural equation modeling provided greater support for the partial mediation model, whereby credibility partially mediated the effects of teacher confirmation and clarity on learning outcomes, though it fully mediated the effects of nonverbal immediacy. When combined, students' perceptions of all three prosocial behaviors accounted for 66% and 57% of the variance in credibility and learning outcomes, respectively. Among the more important implications of this research is the finding that confirming behaviors and clarity have both direct and indirect effects on student learning. (Contains 6 figures and 1 table.)
Descriptors: Credibility, College Faculty, Undergraduate Students, Student Attitudes, Prosocial Behavior, Classroom Communication, Outcomes of Education, Nonverbal Communication, Structural Equation Models, Student Surveys
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 325 Chestnut Street Suite 800, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Fax: 215-625-2940; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A