The Relationship Between Perceived Instructor Aggressive Communication and College Student Involvement

Abstract

This study investigated the link between college students’ perceptions of instructors’ aggressive communication and students’ involvement in and out of the classroom. Participants were 218 students enrolled in introductory communication courses. Results indicated that students’ reports of instructor argumentativeness were not positively associated with their motives to communicate, question asking, overt information seeking, interaction involvement, or out-of-class communication. Students’ reports of instructor verbal aggressiveness were negatively associated with their use of the relational, participatory, and functional motives to communicate as well as question asking, overt information seeking, interaction involvement, and out-of-class communication. Future research should consider the role students’ aggressive communication plays in their perceptions of their instructors, learning outcomes, and perceptions of the learning environment.