Affinity-Seeking in the Classroom: A Study of Differences in Instructor Gender and Status

Affinity-seeking is the process by which individuals attempt to get others to like them. The purpose of the present study was to analyze student perceptions of instructor use of affinity-seeking strategies as a function of instructor gender and status by replicating the research of Bell and Daly (1984) and Roach (1992). A pilot study was first conducted to determine if research in this area was indeed warranted; results were significantly positive to that effect. For the present study, research questions were developed to examine the differences between male and female instructor affinity-seeking, Graduate Teaching Assistant and faculty affinity-seeking, and to determine whether or not these variables interact in a significant manner. Four hundred eighty-three undergraduate and graduate students in a variety of Speech Communication courses were administered Bell and Daly\u27s (1984) list of 25 affinity-seeking strategies to measure these perceptions. Using ANOVA and factor analysis procedures, no significant interaction effects were discovered among gender, status, and the perceived use of affinity-seeking strategies. Further, minimal significance was found for graduate teaching assistants using affinity-seeking strategies more often than faculty; the single strategy of Assume Equality was significant. However, instructors were perceived to use certain strategies significantly more often than male instructors. Such strategies include Dynamism, Nonverbal Immediacy, Openness, Present Interesting Self, Sensitivity, and Similarity. Overall, results indicate that the study of affinity-seeking strategies is both justified and necessary

Affinity-Seeking in the Classroom: A Study of Differences in Instructor Gender and Status

Affinity-seeking is the process by which individuals attempt to get others to like them. The purpose of the present study was to analyze student perceptions of instructor use of affinity-seeking strategies as a function of instructor gender and status by replicating the research of Bell and Daly (1984) and Roach (1992). A pilot study was first conducted to determine if research in this area was indeed warranted; results were significantly positive to that effect. For the present study, research questions were developed to examine the differences between male and female instructor affinity-seeking, Graduate Teaching Assistant and faculty affinity-seeking, and to determine whether or not these variables interact in a significant manner. Four hundred eighty-three undergraduate and graduate students in a variety of Speech Communication courses were administered Bell and Daly\u27s (1984) list of 25 affinity-seeking strategies to measure these perceptions. Using ANOVA and factor analysis procedures, no significant interaction effects were discovered among gender, status, and the perceived use of affinity-seeking strategies. Further, minimal significance was found for graduate teaching assistants using affinity-seeking strategies more often than faculty; the single strategy of Assume Equality was significant. However, instructors were perceived to use certain strategies significantly more often than male instructors. Such strategies include Dynamism, Nonverbal Immediacy, Openness, Present Interesting Self, Sensitivity, and Similarity. Overall, results indicate that the study of affinity-seeking strategies is both justified and necessary

Students\u27 Perceived Usefulness and Relevance of Communication Skills in the Basic Course: Comparing University and Community College Students

Communication skills training is extremely important in terms of students\u27 career choices. However, few studies have been conducted regarding differences between community colleges and four-year universities in terms of students\u27 perceived usefulness and relevance of the study of communication in relation to career choice. The present study extends extant research by examining students\u27 perceptions of this issue. The participants in Study 1 were 155 community college and 291 four-year university students and participants in Study 2 were 205 community college students. The results demonstrate that students at both institutions perceive that the skills learned in basic communication courses are useful and relevant in relation to their future career. There were differences among students enrolled in interpersonal and public speaking courses, with those in interpersonal courses perceiving greater relevance of communication skills in terms of their future career