Thesis
A study investigating the correlation between teaching assistants' communication apprehension in the college classroom and student perceptions of teaching assistant's communication apprehension
Washington State University
Master of Arts (MA), Washington State University
2005
Handle:
https://hdl.handle.net/2376/353
Abstract
This study examined the relationship between teaching assistants’ (TA) communication apprehension (CA) within the college classroom and the perceptions of students that observed this phenomenon as exhibited by the TAs. While in the classroom, effective TA communication is vital for student learning. When instructor CA is observed by classroom students, his or her competency and credibility might be in question and learning may be hindered. Furthermore, a teacher’s ability to competently communicate is the foundation for building a trusting environment in which active learning can take place. A TA who experiences CA while lecturing may even question his or her own teaching skills and abilities. Inexperienced teachers who experience such state phenomenon might become hampered or ineffective in mastering their pedagogical skills in the classroom. Specifically, this study investigated whether a correlation exists between self-perceived state TA CA and student-observer-perceived state TA CA. By focusing on perceptions of TA communication behaviors associated with CA while instructing the subject matter, this study advances existing understandings about observable CA behaviors and its influence on student perceptions in the college classroom. The results of this study indicate TA CA is moderately but significantly correlated with student perceptions of TA CA. While it seems evident that students are able to identify their teacher’s CA fairly accurately, questions of other correlating factors influencing the relationship remain unanswered. Additional results of the study suggest that TA training influences self-perceived TA CA, and TA teaching experience and TA age influences student-observer rating of TA CA, raising questions of a need for more specialized TA training. Perhaps, training TAs in effective classroom immediacy behavior as well as techniques on how to cope with CA in the classroom would be beneficial in order to improve the quality and effectiveness of college teaching.
Metrics
2 File views/ downloads
24 Record Views
Details
- Title
- A study investigating the correlation between teaching assistants' communication apprehension in the college classroom and student perceptions of teaching assistant's communication apprehension
- Creators
- Helga Wernicke
- Contributors
- Tim Hopf (Degree Supervisor)
- Awarding Institution
- Washington State University
- Academic Unit
- Edward R. Murrow College of Communication
- Theses and Dissertations
- Master of Arts (MA), Washington State University
- Publisher
- Washington State University; [Pullman, Washington] :
- Identifiers
- 99900524878901842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Thesis