A Study of the Application of Implicit Communication Theory to Teacher Immediacy and Student Learning.

Teacher immediacy has surfaced as an important instructional communication variable, yet little is known about how it functions to effect learning. To offer an explanation as to how teacher immediacy facilitates learning, a study investigated implicit communication theory. Subjects consisted of 625 undergraduate students who completed questionnaires later subjected to regression analyses. As in previous research, teacher verbal and nonverbal immediacy effected cognitive and affective learning. Findings indicate that implicit communication theory helps explain why learning occurs. Specifically, the dimensions of pleasure and arousal accounted for over half of learning variance. Further, implicit communication theory is significantly related to teacher immediacy. Results suggest that the integration of implicit communication theory with learning in general and specific instructional variables such as teacher immediacy is appropriate and fruitful. (Nine tables of data are included; 103 refeences are attached.) (Author) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. *********,4***************************R******************************** A Study of the Application of Implicit Communication Theory to Teacher Immediacy and Student Learning (..\1