Date of Graduation

2001

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Type

MA

Committee Chair

Matthew M. Martin

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine out-of-class communication (OCC) between students and instructors. More specifically, the study was concerned with student immediacy, instructor immediacy, student affect for the course and affect for the instructor, and student motives for communicating with their instructors outside of the classroom. Participants were students enrolled in undergraduate communication classes at two institutions, Canisius College and West Virginia University. 218 participants completed surveys regarding the instructor they talked to the most outside of the classroom (e.g. during office hours, on campus, or around town). Results of the study show that OCC is positively and significantly correlated to student affect for the course, and affect for the instructor. Likewise, OCC between students and instructors was found to be positively and significantly related to the relational, functional, excuse-making, and sycophancy motives for communicating with instructors. Furthermore, t-test results revealed that more out-of-class communication occurs at Canisius College, than at West Virginia University. Student immediacy and instructor immediacy during OCC interactions were also positively and significantly related. In post-hoc analyses, females participants perceived themselves as well as their instructors as more immediate than male participants, during out-of-class communication.

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