The impact of gender on teacher immediacy and student learning in the HBCU classroom

Abstract

The goal of the present study was to extend our understanding of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), as a communication context, by examining the impact of gender on teacher immediacy and student motivation to learn in the HBCU classroom. The relationship between verbal and nonverbal immediacy and perceived cognitive and affective learning outcomes did not differ between men and women. The findings indicated that nonverbal immediacy was more predictive of learning outcomes than verbal immediacy for both African American men and women. Findings are explained in terms of the role of ethnic/gender identity in the HBCU classroom.