TEACHER IMMEDIACY THE RELATIONSHIP WITH PERCEIVED LEARNING AND

TEACHER IMMEDIACY: THE RELATIONSHIP WITH PERCEIVED LEARNING AND STUDENT OUTCOMES IN THE U. S. INTERNATIONAL CLASSROOM Jillian L. Wendt University of the District of Columbia Deanna Nisbet Regent University E-LEARN 2015 CONFERENCE OCTOBER 19 -22, 2015

INTRODUCTION • Unique challenges encountered by international students enrolled in U. S. courses – Many are successful – Different set of challenges • How do we best meet international students’ needs?

INTRODUCTION • Challenges include: – Language – Culture – Academic expectations – Social expectations

INTRODUCTION • Documented difficulties: – Language – Adapting to academic culture – Misunderstandings – Complications in communication – Isolation – Alienation – Culture shock – Overall adjustment (Erichsen & Bollinger, 2011)

INTRODUCTION • Importance of examining design and delivery of instruction – How can international students be best supported? – What are best practices? – What are evidence-based practices? – Do current models meet international student needs?

INTRODUCTION • Positive relationship between teacher immediacy and positive student outcomes (Ni & Aust, 2008; King & Witt, 2009; Russo & Benson, 2005) • Positive relationship between perceived learning and positive student outcomes (King & Witt, 2009; Rovai et al. , 2009) • …with U. S. students. • Do similar relationships exist with international students?

INTRODUCTION Does a relationship exist between international students’perceptions of teacher immediacy, perceived learning, and end of course grades when enrolled in U. S. graduate courses offered in a computer-mediated delivery format?

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK • Theory of immediacy (Mehrabian, 1971) – Indicator of attitudes in communication – Verbal and non-verbal immediacy – Explicit and implicit forms (Mehrabian, 1966)

BACKGROUND • Relationship between increased teacher immediacy and positive student outcomes (Gorham, 1988) • Relationship between increased teacher immediacy and student satisfaction (Ni & Aust, 2008) • Relationship between increased teacher immediacy and student motivation (Wilson, 2006)

BACKGROUND • CAP Perceived Learning Scale – Measures perceived learning • Domains: – Cognitive – Affective – Psychomotor (Rovai et al. , 2009)

BACKGROUND Cognitive Domain Psychomotor Domain Affective Domain

BACKGROUND • CAP – Relationship to learning effectiveness – Relationship to learning practices – Predictor of student course outcomes (Rovai et al. , 2009)

BACKGROUND • Nature of teaching and learning environment – Discourse community – Varies from one culture to another 1986; Sadykova & Dautermann, 2009) • Expectations vary (De. Villar, Faltis, & Cummins, 1994; Hofsted,

BACKGROUND • Challenges of computer-mediated environment – Delayed response time – Lower quality of communication – Heightened cultural challenges Reeves, 2007) (Liu et al. , 2010) (Erichsen & Bollinger, 2011; Liu et al. , 2010; Want &

BACKGROUND • Increased examination • Increased intervention • Importance of studying impact of teacher immediacy on outcomes • Relationship to student success

METHODOLOGY • Causal comparative research design • Spearman’s rank order correlation

RESEARCH QUESTIONS • RQ 1: Is there a statistically significant relationship between international students’ perceptions of teacher immediacy when enrolled in a graduate course and students’ end of course grades?

RESEARCH QUESTIONS • RQ 2: Is there a statistically significant relationship between international students’ perceived learning when enrolled in a graduate course and students’ end of course grades?

RESEARCH QUESTIONS • RQ 3: Is there a statistically significant relationship between international students’ perceptions of teacher immediacy when enrolled in a graduate course and students’ perceived learning?

PARTICIPANTS • 276 students • Enrolled in graduate courses • Northern Virginia, USA – 211 males – 65 females

PARTICIPANTS • Synchronous delivery • Moodle ™ learning management system • 8 week courses • Survey given during week 5 – Demographics – Verbal Immediacy Scale (Gorham, 1988) – CAP Perceived Learning Scale – End of course grades (Rovai et al. , 2009)

OVERVIEW OF RESULTS • RQ 1: Small, negative statistically significant relationship between students’ perceptions of teacher immediacy and end of course grades

OVERVIEW OF RESULTS • RQ 2: No statistically significant relationship between students’ perceived learning and end of course grades

OVERVIEW OF RESULTS • RQ 3: Small, positive statistically significant relationship between students’ perceptions of teacher immediacy and students’ perceived learning

DISCUSSION • Current findings contradict previous studies which revealed the following: – Positive relationship between perceived teacher immediacy and student outcomes (Ni & Aust, 2008; Russo & Benson, 2005) – Positive relationship between perceived learning and course grades (Rovai et al. , 2009)

IMPLICATIONS • What works for U. S. students may not work for international students. • Certain types of course design may present a barrier for international students.

FUTURE STUDY More research is needed to examine: • Factors that impact international students’ success • Unique considerations for course design and delivery

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