Students' Perceptions of E-Mail Interaction During Student-Professor Advising Sessions: The Pursuit of Interpersonal Goals

Abstract

This study investigated students' preference for e-mail over face-to-face (FtF) communication for interpersonal goal achievement (i.e., instrumental, relational, self-presentational) with faculty advisors. An exploratory analysis of undergraduate students revealed that they did not prefer computer-mediated communication (i.e., e-mail) over FtF communication with advisors when addressing all 3 interpersonal goal types. Significant gender differences were also found, with women reporting more use of e-mail, and men preferring to address self-presentational goals in FtF settings. It also was found that compared to Caucasians, African Americans did not prefer CMC to FtF interaction in achieving instrumental and self-presentational goals. Results of this study suggest that despite the ubiquity of e-mail communication, undergraduates did not prefer e-mail over FtF contact with faculty advisors.