The Effect of Instructor Behaviors in Different Online Learning Environments

Several studies in traditional classroom settings examined instructor immediacy (the measure of the psychological distance which an instructor puts between himself and his students) and reported that instructor verbal and nonverbal immediacy behaviors are associated with learning outcomes, satisfaction, and motivation. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of instructor immediacy behaviors on student perception of instructor immediacy and social presence (the degree to which a person is perceived as “real” in mediated communication) in two online, computer conferencing environments: (a) video and audio with text chat and (b) audio with text chat. Using an experimental design the researchers tested the effects of instructor immediacy behaviors (high vs. low) and delivery modality (audio vs. video) on student perception of instructor immediacy, perception of social presence, and learning outcomes measured by immediate posttest scores. The results yielded statistically significant difference in student perception of instructor immediacy and social presence among the high-immediacy and the low-immediacy groups. The results also showed that there was a significant difference in learning outcomes as indicated by immediate posttest scores between students in the high-immediacy audio group and the low-immediacy video group. A correlation analysis revealed a significant positive relationship between perceived instructor immediacy and perceived instructor social presence. Finally, a regression analysis revealed that instructor immediacy significantly predicted social presence. The findings have significant implications regarding the use of instructor immediacy behaviors in computer conferencing settings and lay the groundwork for future research in this area. Currently, the number of students enrolling in courses offered online is increasing at a much faster rate of growth than the overall higher education population (Sloan Consortium, 2005) and computer-based tools have been widely embraced for online learning. With the prevalence of computers in online distance education, there is an increasing need to exploit the differences among the plethora of computer-based tools, such as synchronous and asynchronous text chat tools, discussion boards, computer audio and video conferencing, and so forth, regarding their impact on the mediated learning transaction and the learning outcomes. What is the effect of the behaviors projected by the instructor when using different types of online computer-conferencing tools? Unfortunately the central role of the instructor and the impact of his or her behaviors have received little attention in the distance learning research. The current study examined the effect of immediacy behaviors employed by the online instructor in two computer-based learning environments. Instructor Immediacy and Social Presence Research in conventional classroom settings has examined instructor immediacy, the measure of the psychological distance which a communicator puts between himself and the object of his communication (Wiener & Mehrabian, 1968). Researchers have identified verbal and nonverbal communicative behaviors which may be employed by instructors to reduce student perceptions of psychological distance and enhance closeness and interaction. For example, nonverbal behaviors include eye contact, body posture, gestures, facial expressions, and vocal qualities (Andersen, 1979; Richmond, Gorham, & McCroskey, 1987). Relevant verbal behaviors include using students’ names, feedback, praise, and humor (Gorham, 1988). Research on instructor immediacy has shown that when instructors employ verbal and nonverbal immediacy behaviors students demonstrate increased learning outcomes, motivation, and satisfaction (Andersen, 1979; Christophel, 1990; Gorham, 1988; Gorham & Christophel, 1990;