Instructors Who Resist “College Lite”: The Neutralizing Effect of Instructor Immediacy on Students’ Course-Workload Violations and Perceptions of Instructor Credibility and Affective Learning

Abstract

Abstract The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of an instructor's nonverbal immediacy behaviors and course-workload demands on student perceptions of instructor credibility and student higher-order affective learning. H1 and H2 predicted that an instructor's nonverbal immediacy behaviors would neutralize the instructor's violations of students' course-workload expectations in a manner that would preserve students' perceptions of instructor credibility and higher-order affective learning. H1 and H2 were supported. H3 predicted that students who experienced a highly immediate instructor with moderate course-workload demands would report significantly more higher-order affective learning than students who experienced a highly immediate instructor with low or high course-workload demands. H3 was not supported. Implications for instructors are discussed. Keywords: Instructor ImmediacyInstructor Course Workload DemandsInstructor CredibilityStudent Affective LearningExpectancy Violation Theory Acknowledgments A faculty research enhancement grant from Texas State University, San Marcos funded this study. Additional informationNotes on contributorsTimothy P. Mottet Timothy P. Mottet (Ed.D., West Virginia University, 1998) is an Associate Professor of Communication Studies at Texas State University, San Marcos Jessica Parker-Raley Jessica Parker-Raley (M.A., Texas State University-San Marcos, 2004) is a doctoral student in Communication Studies at the University of Texas, Austin Steven A. Beebe Steven A. Beebe (Ph.D., University of Missouri, 1976) is Professor and Chair of Communication Studies at Texas State University, San Marcos Cory Cunningham Cory Cunningham (M.A., Texas State University-San Marcos, 2004) is a doctoral student in Communication Studies at the University of Oklahoma, Norman