A Cross-Cultural Study of Immediacy, Credibility, and Learning in the U.S. and Kenya

Abstract

Extensive research has documented the positive relationships between teacher immediacy and student perceptions of learning and teacher credibility. However, the vast majority of this research has been limited to samples of students in the U.S. The present study involves a cross-cultural study of immediacy, with samples of students drawn from a university in the U.S. and a university in Kenya. Students completed measures of verbal and nonverbal immediacy, teacher credibility, and cognitive learning. Positive relationships were identified between verbal immediacy, nonverbal immediacy, credibility, and cognitive learning for both samples, further supporting research done in the U.S. and elsewhere suggesting that higher immediacy teachers are perceived as being more effective and credible.