Content area
Abstract
Immediacy behaviors consist of verbal and nonverbal symbolic cues that reduce physical and psychological distance between communicators. For nearly two decades, communication scholars have investigated how immediacy applies to teaching and learning. In short, positive relationships exist between teacher immediacy and student learning outcomes.
Cognitive learning style consists of the ways an individual perceives and processes information. An example of cognitive style is field dependence and field independence. Educational psychologists have investigated how an individual's cognitive style manifests itself in a variety of observable behaviors, including teaching and learning. In short, identifiable communicative patterns exist for field dependent and field independent teachers and learners.
The present study investigated the relationship between teacher immediacy and cognitive style. Ninety-six undergraduates and eight instructors participated in the study. Both the undergraduates and the instructors completed a measure of field dependence/independence, and the undergraduates completed a measure of teacher immediacy. Given the exploratory nature, research questions guided the study.
Using simple correlations and t-tests, statistically significant, positive relationships were discovered between teacher immediacy behaviors and learning outcomes for the total undergraduate sample. However, when the undergraduates were separated into field dependent and field independent groups of learners, the relationship between teacher immediacy and student learning was not significant for field independent learners; field dependent learners, though, maintained a substantial, positive relationship. No significant differences were found between field dependent and field independent student perceptions of immediacy. No significant differences were found between field dependent and field independent student learning outcomes. Finally, no significant differences were found between field dependent and field independent instructor levels of immediacy.
The dissertation ends with a discussion of these results, including the heuristic nature of the study and paths for future research.
