Search

This article discusses the role of educational technology in shaping courses and explores the potential of XR/VR (extended reality/virtual reality) technologies in education. While XR/VR offer promises of solving access and equity issues, they also come with challenges such as privacy invasion, health concerns, and the presence of harassment and discrimination in virtual environments. The article includes forum essays that delve into the possibilities and cautions of using XR/VR in communication, teaching, and learning. The authors propose research trajectories to explore the applications of XR/VR in communication courses, the role of communication in teaching content in various disciplines, the impact of XR/VR on student interactions and learning contexts, and the potential for XR/VR to create more inclusive learning practices. The article emphasizes the need for vigilance and new approaches to ensure the positive impact of XR/VR in education. [Extracted from the article]

The communication studies discipline is at its best when scholarship balances attention to quality, student-centered instruction, and ethical, future-oriented research. In summary, communication education scholars should continue to examine previous methods used to design and test assessments that measure learning outcomes. [Extracted from the article]

In the article, the author discusses educational topics, particularly instructional communication and critical pedagogy. Also cited are the complexity of classroom life in the U.S., the key role played by communication in education, and the need to conduct critical research on educational issues like sexism, racism, and heterosexism.

In this paper, we first frame Sprague's vision in the historical context from which it emerged. From there, we explore some contemporary concerns instructional communication researchers must grapple with, and then propose some practical next steps for envisioning instructional communication research as a platform for meaningful contributions throughout the subfields of the communication discipline both within and beyond traditional classroom walls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the key role played by Hispanic-serving institutions (HSI) in U.S. higher education. Also cited are the qualifications to become an HSI as cited by the Department of Education, the communication and instruction issues in HSIs, the history of the Latinx community in the U.S., and the key role played by Latinx communication and instruction scholars in education research.

In the article, the author discusses the efforts to resolve issues in minority-serving institutions in the U.S. like Hispanic-serving institutions (HSI) like race, racism and cultural differences. Other topics include the qualifications of public and private schools to be designated as HSI, communication in education, and the theory of knowledge.

Students' concealed carry of guns is now legally allowed at many instructors' places of employment, representing an influential and understudied message. Therefore, using Emotional Response Theory and the chilling effect, the purpose of this study was to examine how college instructors perceived the legal presence of guns on campus influenced their instructional communication. Utilizing qualitative methods, interviews highlighted how instructors viewed the interaction of power, their role as an instructor, communication with students, and the dynamic created by campus carry. For participants, campus carry impacted their communication in one of three ways: by causing them to reframe, refocus, or resign in their communication with students. Implications, limitations, and directions for future research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we explore how students identify and navigate the social structure of higher education and how, in doing so, they communicatively (re)produce socializing norms. To this end, we draw upon the work of the late educational sociologist Pierre Bourdieu to outline a critical communication pedagogical understanding of institutional socialization at a public, 4-year university. We conducted focus groups with 36 college students to understand their perceptions of (in)appropriate communicative behaviors, norms, and attitudes in higher education. We then discuss the importance of their perceptions of social and cultural capital, connect their ascriptions to the (re)production of existing social relationships, and advocate for a renewed focus on seemingly innocuous communication and instruction concepts and variables in light of our findings. Finally, we offer ways for instructors to intervene into the socialization process by making the culture of power visible to all educational participants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the article, the author discusses prosocial advocacy communication and mentoring in higher education in the U.S. Topics include the importance of mentoring on the confidence, success and professional identity of a young scholar, the nature of communication in mentoring relationships, and the institutional approaches to mentoring to improve the experiences of students of color (SOC) and to build a pipeline of prospective faculty of color (FOC).

We are turning the pages to another editorial term and moving I Communication Education i into its eighth decade of existence. (p. 1) Indeed, the eight decades of research appearing in I Communication Education i have offered answers to these questions as they have stimulated the careers of many scholars. Literature-driven agenda-setting articles and responses and rejoinders when appropriate (either to data-driven articles or agenda-setting pieces) will foster greater dialogue between researchers. [Extracted from the article]

The uncertainty experienced by college students can have serious repercussions for their success and subsequent retention. Drawing parallels between instructional context and organizational context will enrich theory and research about students' experiences of uncertainty in their college courses. Therefore, this study used Uncertainty Management Theory to explore how students manage their uncertainty about college courses with their classmates. Overall, the results suggest that although students experience uncertainty mostly related to their academic needs, their uncertainty management focuses more on their socioemotional needs. In managing their uncertainty, students rely on direct communication with their peers, which suggests the importance of considering uncertainty management as a relational activity as opposed to an independent activity. Given this, instructors can facilitate classroom climates and activities that allow students to establish relationships with one another and work interdependently to achieve their academic goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Even though speaking and listening are included in the Common Core standards for K-12 education, communication scholars have had relatively little influence on the teaching of communication at this level or on the training of future K-12 teachers who will teach these skills. In their essay titled, "Communication Education in K-12: Yes, Still a Concern for Higher Education", David Yastremski and Sherwyn Morreale argued that the communication discipline has a responsibility to develop a K-12 communication pedagogy research agenda and advocate for including communication in curriculum for preservice teachers. [Extracted from the article]

This study gathered data about communication centers and built on past investigations of how centers function across the United States. Communication center directors or individuals who oversee centers at two- and four-year institutions of higher education (N = 47) were surveyed. Participants responded to questions about center structure and configuration, logistics and operation, directorship, staff and training, and services. The findings highlight current and changing trends of centers. Overall, this study offers a summative discussion of how centers should be re-envisioned to provide broader impacts for institutions of higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined how student perceptions of math/statistics instructors’ argumentativeness and verbal aggressiveness are related to student perceptions of classroom communication climate, student state motivation, and student math anxiety. A total of 216 completed questionnaires were returned by the student participants (96 males and 120 females). Results supported four of the seven research hypotheses and partially support another research hypothesis, indicating that perceived instructor argumentativeness and verbal aggressiveness directly affect perceptions of classroom communication climate; these three perceptions directly influence student state motivation; and student state motivation has a direct impact on math anxiety. Implications based on the findings suggest that math/statistics instructors can adapt different communication behaviors to influence the reduction of student math anxiety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study utilized a critical organizational communication framework to understand how student resistance is performed in relation to hegemonic systems that are (re)constituted through communication within and beyond the classroom (i.e., an institutional culture). I conducted multiple semistructured interviews with 14 self-identified students of color (28 total interviews) to explore the dialectical interplay of resistance ⇔ racialized domination within higher education. Using narrative analysis, I presented three participants’ responses asstoried accountsto highlight the fluid ways that resistance ⇔ racialized domination manifests within and beyond the classroom. Participants’ stories showcased how forms of racialized domination (i.e.,fetishization,stereotype threat, andwhite fragility) interact with forms of resistance (i.e.,poaching,parody, andseparation). This study’s findings highlight the need for communication and instruction scholars to expand their theoretical scope when exploring student resistance while also providing pragmatic advice for how instructors can intervene into, and challenge, racialized domination in higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nonverbal immediacy behaviors are underresearched in the online teaching environment. Using social presence theory as a guiding framework, this study explores several online nonverbal immediacy behaviors: emoticons/figurative language, color, cohesion, visual imagery, and audio in course design; response latency, length, time of day, and message frequency in forums; and type and promptness of feedback via grading and email. Coding of 51 online courses found that more consistent use of nonverbal immediacy behaviors was related to students’ reports of higher course engagement. However, the nonverbal behaviors most associated with engagement were the ones not used as often. Findings indicate instructors can improve the effectiveness of online learning environments via nonverbal immediacy behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In the article, the author discusses the role of communication in education in response to an essay of Jo Sprague on the issue. Other topics include the effect/s of instructor-student relationships on student learning, the interplay of factors like race, gender, and sexual orientation in education, and the relationship among academic freedom, politics, and ideological diversity.

An essay is presented on diversity and difference transcends theory in higher education. It examines the relevance of communication education in the scholarship of teaching in establishing the bona fide scholars. It stresses the differences in opinion, emotion, cognition, attitude, socioeconomic status and family background of the college students.

An essay is presented on the influence of communication within the educational process of classroom disciplines and contexts. It highlights the domains in the instructional setting which include teacher-student relationship, social identity engagement and ideology in the classroom. It stresses the conceptual landscape for student's engagement in social interactions about identity differences.

The article offers ideas on centering transgender identities in instructional communication research in the U.S. Topics covered include the definition of gender identity, the importance of considering gender identity on its own terms, and instructional communication research that examines gender identity. Ways to foster gender identity in the field are suggested, including greater inclusion of transgender voices and the use of the distinction between LBGTQ education and critical education.

The current study sought to determine dimensions of student-to-student confirmation. Results of open-ended surveys revealed that students confirm one another in unique ways based on the setting of their relationship (the classroom). Findings revealed three dimensions of student-to-student confirmation (acknowledgment, assistance, and individual attention) each of which has two subdimensions. Factors determining the use of confirmation and the self-reported outcomes were also examined. Notably, traditional instructional communication outcomes (affective learning, cognitive learning, motivation) emerged from the data regarding the perceived effect confirmation has on the student experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following research indicating prevalent and deleterious use of social communication technology in college classrooms, this study investigated teacher credibility, learner empowerment, and online communication attitude as predictors of such use. The sample included 379 participants who completed an online survey about a college course. Results identified alleviating loneliness and relational maintenance as two distinct forms of social use, with somewhat divergent predictors for each dimension. Teacher competence inversely predicted both use types, although teacher character exhibited an unexpected positive association with relational maintenance use. Learner empowerment demonstrated a curvilinear association with alleviating loneliness use, and relational maintenance use was predicted by the interaction between learner empowerment and online communication attitude. Thus, although teacher credibility and learner empowerment generally buffer against social use, learner empowerment may foster such use for students who particularly enjoy communicating online. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers explanation on affective learning paradox. Topics discussed include the need for learning to be the central characteristic of any instructional communication theory, conceptual confusion contributing to affective learning paradox including decontextualize learning, use of conceptual idiosyncratic language and failure to focus on specific changes, and integration of affective learning along with other learning domains.

The article focuses on how instructional communication scholars are conceptualizing and operationalizing affective learning. One of the topics discussed is the concept of Krathwohl, Bloom and Masia, in which they viewed affective learning as a hierarchical taxonomy. A table that shows affective domain of learning is presented including receiving, responding and valuing.

The article offers a response to essays on interpersonal communication (IC) phenomena and student learning published within the issue. Topics covered include an assessment of essays on what instructional communication is, how IC-based instructional research foci ought to be adjusted to advance instructional communication research, and the difference of instructional communication from communication education.

This essay explores the interplay between interpersonal communication (IC) and instructional communication. Topics covered include the overemphasis on interpersonal elements in the instructional setting, the common characteristics of teacher-student relationship with interpersonal relationship, and the need to analyze both interpersonal and instructional variables to truly understand communication education.

In this study, we investigated the association between instructor technology use policies and learner empowerment. Specifically, we employed Turman and Schrodt's principle of moderation, predicting that learner empowerment would be highest when instructors moderately encourage course-relevant technology use and moderately discourage nonrelevant use. Results instead indicated a positive linear association between encouraging policies and learner empowerment, and a curvilinear effect for discouraging policies (with learner empowerment lowest at a moderate level of such policies). Apprehension about communicating online moderated the association between discouraging policies and learner empowerment. One implication of these results is that students expect course-relevant technology access yet also desire teacher clarity regarding permissible technology use in the classroom. Students apprehensive about technology may especially value such clarity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we explored peer relationships in the college classroom and how they affected students' perceptions of classroom connectedness and organizational assimilation. Participants were 170 students enrolled in a variety of classes at a large mid-Atlantic university. Students enrolled in a course with information peers reported lower levels of classroom connectedness, familiarity with coworkers, and job competency than students enrolled in a course with either collegial peers or special peers. No differences were found between special and collegial peers on any outcome variable. Results indicated that students with higher-quality peer relationships experience greater feelings of connection with their classmates and are knowledgeable about the tasks they need to perform in the classroom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to examine the main and interactive effects of teacher communication behaviors and student interest on engagement. Participants included 518 undergraduate students who were asked to identify the first class they attended in a particular week and then use that class as the reference point for all survey items. The findings suggested that teacher immediacy more strongly predicted student emotional interest than cognitive interest, whereas teacher clarity was a stronger predictor of student cognitive interest. The results indicated a significant interaction effect between teacher immediacy and clarity and student cognitive interest, as well as a significant interaction effect between student emotional and cognitive interest and engagement. The final structural model accounted for 42% of the variance in student engagement. Theoretical and pedagogical implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we examined the impact of mobile phone usage, during class lecture, on student learning. Participants in three different study groups (control, low-distraction, and high-distraction) watched a video lecture, took notes on that lecture, and took two learning assessments after watching the lecture. Students who were not using their mobile phones wrote down 62% more information in their notes, took more detailed notes, were able to recall more detailed information from the lecture, and scored a full letter grade and a half higher on a multiple choice test than those students who were actively using their mobile phones. Theoretical and pedagogical implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dissatisfaction between students and faculty is not uncommon, but the majority of students do not complain to their instructors when they have issues that need addressing. Because complaining to instructors gives them the potential to fix student problems, we conducted this study to determine why students choose not to complain to their instructors when they experience dissatisfaction. We used a qualitative approach to answering this question and asked a sample of 186 participants to report their reasons for withholding rhetorical dissent. Our data indicated that students withheld dissent from their instructors due to organizational factors and, to a lesser extent, relational and personal factors. We discuss these results and identify implications for instructors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to (a) identify perceived triggering agents of student dissent in the college classroom, (b) determine common target receivers of dissent, and (c) reveal the types of dissent that students enact based on their intentional motives and construction of message content. Participants were 123 undergraduate students who completed a survey and provided multiple written narratives in response to open-ended questions. Results of a content analysis revealed that (a) common perceived triggering agents of dissent included (in rank order) unfair testing/assignments, unfair grading, and teaching style, followed by instructor offensiveness, policy, violating syllabus, instructor indolence, lack of feedback, and group members slacking; (b) target receivers of dissent were primarily the class professor, classmates, friends, and family members, among others; and (c) students engaged in three types of dissent including expressive dissent (i.e., to vent their feelings and frustrations), rhetorical dissent (i.e., to attempt to correct a perceived wrongdoing by the instructor), and vengeful dissent (i.e., to retaliate and ruin the reputation of an instructor). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The primary goal of this project is to provide a summary of extant research regarding humor in the classroom, with an emphasis on identifying and explaining inconsistencies in research findings and offering new directions for future studies in this area. First, the definitions, functions, and main theories of humor are reviewed. Next, the paper explains types of humorous instructional communication. Third, the empirical findings of both the source and receiver perspectives are reviewed. Finally, this paper concludes with advice for educators and suggests potential future research directions for scholars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to investigate college teachers' experiences of relational turning points with their students, as well as how these turning point events may affect teacher outcomes. Teachers who were able to identify a relational turning point event with a student (n=306, 78.5% of the overall sample) completed open- and closed-ended questions about the event. Analysis of participants' responses yielded four distinct supracategories of relational turning point events, comprised of consultation, transgression, intimation, and realization of student potential or success. Teachers who reported intimation and realization of student potential or success turning point events also indicated increased liking for students, teacher-student interpersonal relationships, teacher self-efficacy, teacher motivation, and teacher job satisfaction. Teachers who reported transgression turning points indicated decreased liking for students, teacher motivation, and teacher job satisfaction. Teachers who reported consultation turning point events indicated either increased or decreased teacher outcomes depending on the nature of the event. At the end of the article, readers are invited to engage in reflective practice and move to action regarding the findings of this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Similar to many courses in communication, oral communication is central to the learning goals in the discipline of design. Design critiques, the primary communication activity in design classrooms, occur in every studio course multiple times. One key feature of the critique, as an oral genre, is the amount of time and emphasis placed on feedback. The feedback intervention process within the critique plays a large role in determining the overall communicative climate of the teaching and learning event. The purpose of this study was to explore how students talk about the communication climate of the critique and the feedback within it. Drawing on feedback intervention theory and using an ethnographic interviewing framework, we conducted in-depth interviews of students in design studios. Results of this study identified four ways students characterized the critique climate and six kinds of feedback students suggested contribute to a climate for learning. Discussion suggests that feedback intervention spaces (specifically those focused on oral genres) are dialectical and relational spaces-necessitating attention not only to the cognitive processes of feedback (as feedback intervention theory suggests), but also to the emergent relational tensions that demand communicative energy within the feedback intervention process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although scholars from across the field of communication have highlighted the importance of emotion in interpersonal relationships, persuasive messages, and organizations, the topic has yet to receive systematic attention from scholars who study classroom communication. Using interdisciplinary literature from communication and other fields as a foundation, the Classroom Emotions Scale (CES) was created to assess students' perceptions of emotional experiences in classes. Study 1 situates the scale within theory connecting emotions with classroom communication. The study reports initial evidence on scale dimensionality and connections between classroom emotions and three teacher communication variables: nonverbal immediacy, clarity, and communication competence. Study 2 extends those results by reporting a confirmatory factor analysis testing dimensionality of the scale; criterion and divergent validity evidence is also presented. Results of the two studies provide reliability and validity evidence for the CES, show that teachers' communication behaviors are related to students' reports of emotional experiences in classes, and document relationships between students' emotional experiences and various indicators of their motivation, affective, and cognitive learning. Findings are discussed as they relate to previous emotional response theory as well as philosophical works seeking to reduce binaries between emotion and reason. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Communication Skills Training (CST) is a proven aid to help oncologists achieve high quality patient-centered communication. No research studies have provided clear guidelines for developing the content of CST. The aim of this work is to describe a method of developing such content and evaluation of effectiveness of CST training workshops (based on this method) in a real world medical education setting at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Using a set of seven sequenced steps, we have developed a curriculum for training oncology fellows in several communication challenges. Oncology fellows (n = 45) participated in CST workshops. A coding system was applied to each participant's consultation video-recordings pre and post training. Participants completed evaluations of their confidence and self efficacy in communication skill usage. The training increased the fellows' overall level of skill usage (t44= - 2.426, p<.05). All participants strongly agreed that they would use newly acquired skills, provide better care after training, and had also been prompted to critically evaluate their own communication skills. Further modules are planned; however, different methods of assessment may be more appropriate in the medical education setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This investigation tests Wittrock's generative learning model as an explanation for the positive relationship found between quizzing and student performance in a number of studies. Results support the theory, suggesting that quizzes structured to include multiple levels of Bloom, Engelhart, Furst, Hill and Krathwohl's (1956) taxonomy, and thereby evoke generative learning, are related to greater cognitive learning. Students completing quizzes performed better on the first course exam and written assignment than students who were not quizzed, and those quizzed to facilitate generative learning performed better on the first and second exams than students completing comprehension-focused quizzes. The discussion addresses implications for generative learning and for classroom instructors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An essay is presented on how college teachers can address academic entitlement (AE) among millenial students in the college classroom. The authors suggest that instructors should adapt their teaching style around entitlement to maintain a learning environment to all students. They note that instructional communication research can be used by instructors on their practices toward entitled students and the need for the said research to evolve as student expectations changes.

The essay discusses the conceptual foundation of difference matters in the scholarship on instructional communication in the U.S. It describes the problematic nature of a body of literature that ignores and marginalizes the epistemology which concerns with cultural diversity and perspectives in communication education research. The need of scholars to foster perspectives in communication education research through innovative scholarship is also explained.

The article discusses three challenges for the scholarship on instructional communication in the U.S. The authors advise scholars to move conversations away from a language of diversity toward a language of difference and to be accountable to the needs of populations. They encourage scholars to conduct research on difference, accountability and social justice that affect the scholarship on instructional communication.

The article explains the need to find inclusion in the scholarship on instructional communication in the U.S. The author reflects on the book "Critical Communication Pedagogy" by D. L. Fassett and J. T. Warren. Also discussed is the argument presented by Nick J. Sciullo et al. in their essay that a language of difference should build the foundation of instructional communication research.

The article responds to forum essays on the diversity and scholarship on instructional communication in the U.S. The authors observe that the essays focus on difference and intersectionality of the scholarship rather than its diversity. They agree with the proposed creation of a research environment of diverse perspectives. Also discussed is the rationale for methodological and topical diversity in instructional communication research.

An introduction to a forum on the diversity and scholarship on instructional communication in the U.S. is presented.

The article addresses the use of diverse perspectives to enrich instructional communication research in the U.S. Topics discussed include ways to foster the development of the scholarship on instructional communication research and the use of theoretical foundations and research methods to explore questions about learning environments. The importance of collaboration and intellectual partnership to the scholarship is also explained.

The essay explains the importance of difference studies in instructional communication research in the U.S. The author makes a comparison between difference studies and diversity studies in instructional communication research. He advises scholars to reflect on the trouble with diversity in educational communication by including diverse perspectives.

Research suggests that student academic support plays a vital role at the college level as students often view communication with peers as their primary source of academic support (Thompson, 2008). This research advances the Student Academic Support Scale (SASS) as a method of assessing the frequency, importance, and mode of communicating academic support among college students. Study one details scale development procedures, presents the results of factor analysis, and advances the SASS. Study two examines the frequency and importance of specific supportive behaviors and explores the modes commonly used by students to communicate academic support. Implications for teachers, scholars, and university administrators are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Out-of-classroom communication (OCC) in the form of email has increased considerably in the past few years. This study uses Interaction Adaptation Theory (IAT) to inform and frame the impact of using overly casual email messages with instructors. Study one used an experimental method to determine that message quality (casual vs. formal messages) accounted for between 48% and 64% of the variance explained in affect toward the student, student credibility, and message attitude. Message quality also significantly impacted on an instructor's willingness to comply with a simple request for a face-to-face meeting. Study two further examined these findings using a comparative analysis of both instructors and students. Findings reveal that instructors are bothered more than students by overly casual email messages. Instructors attribute students' use of overly casual emails more heavily to training issues, while students attribute this to technology use. Two specific email violations that bother instructors more than students are emails not signed by the message sender and messages that include shortcuts like “RU” instead of “are you”. Finally, it appears that instructor generational differences have little impact on these descriptive findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Successfully evaluating students' work challenges teachers to achieve both corrective task and identity-protection goals in interaction. This study investigated how face-threat mitigation that students received from their teachers during feedback influenced students' judgments about the quality and usefulness of the feedback their instructors provided and their perceptions of those instructors' credibility. Public-speaking students (N=356) at three universities were surveyed about their instructors' feedback regarding their first graded speech that term. Multiple regression analyses showed that receiving attentive facework during instructional feedback predicted students' perceptions that feedback was fair and useful. Skilled instructional facework also predicted students' less defensive responses to criticism and their higher credibility ratings of their instructors. Findings support attentive instructional facework as a communication mechanism whose skillful use aids feedback's reception and integration and enhances instructors' credibility as worthy feedback providers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]