ERIC Number: EJ1035349
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2014
Pages: 7
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1740-4622
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Accommodating Twitter: Communication Accommodation Theory and Classroom Interactions
Parcha, Joshua M.
Communication Teacher, v28 n4 p229-235 2014
Research finds that student effectiveness can be related to how well a student interacts and communicates in the classroom, supporting the notion that student-student interaction is important (Frymier, 2005; Poulou, 2009). According to Sidelinger and Booth-Butterfield (2010), student-student connectedness (defined as "a supportive and cooperative communication environment"; Dwyer et al., 2004, p. 267) influences the academic success of students. Additionally, students who engage in interaction are also more likely to engage in course material. For example, Myers and Bryant (2002) found that there is a positive relationship between students' interactional involvement and the effectiveness of the course content; students were more motivated to learn the course content when they reported being more involved in classroom interactions. While encouraging student-student connectedness inside the classroom is difficult enough for an instructor, obtaining student-student interaction outside the classroom can present an even greater challenge. Communication outside of the classroom is rarely centered on classroom material, and students must adjust their communication before interacting with one another about course content. Communication accommodation theory (CAT) examines communication adjustments that happen when people interact, and can be broken down into two parts: convergence and divergence (Giles, Mulac, Bradac, & Johnson, 1987). Convergence happens when people emphasize similarities in their communication in order to identify with one another. Divergence is the complete opposite: people emphasize the differences associated with their counterparts. The goal of the activity described in this article is to encourage students to engage in convergent communication inside and outside of the classroom. This two-to four-week unit activity aims to enhance student-student interaction, both inside and outside of the classroom, in order to improve the overall classroom communication.
Descriptors: Learning Activities, Peer Relationship, Interpersonal Communication, Social Networks, Computer Mediated Communication, College Students
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
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