Teacher Clarity Research Articles

An idiodynamic study on students’ negative emotions in relation to instructor clarity and non-verbal immediacy in a CLIL classroom

ABSTRACT While positive teacher behaviors are recognized as crucial for effective learning, empirical research on their moment-to-moment impact on student emotions, particularly in the context of CLIL classrooms remains limited. This study addresses the gap by employing the idiodynamic method, a novel approach grounded in Dynamic Systems Theory, to provide a nuanced understanding of how individual Chinese university students’ negative academic emotions evolve in response to specific teacher behaviors. Using a mixed-methods design, the study reveals that teacher communication behaviors significantly influence students’ emotional trajectories, highlighting the coexistence and potential benefits of both negative and positive emotions in fostering a healthy language learning environment. While CLIL increases cognitive load and anxiety, effective teacher clarity and nonverbal immediacy strategies can mitigate these effects, fostering engagement and reducing negative emotions. The study challenges the simplistic categorization of emotions as either negative or positive, emphasizing the coexistence of diverse emotions and the potential benefits of negative activating emotions in language learning. It underscores the need for teacher training programs to incorporate not only pedagogical knowledge but also strategies for fostering positive communication and leveraging the dynamic interplay of student emotions for optimal learning outcomes.

Instructor Communicative Behaviors as Cultivators of Students’ Task Value

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to understand students’ task value toward a class. Task value is the utility students see in the course material. As expected, good instructional practices (i.e. clarity, nonverbal immediate behaviors) were positive contributors of task value. However, the substantive impact on task value came from information flow, a variable borrowed from the organizational culture literature. The supported model showed instructor clarity and nonverbal immediate behaviors indirectly, positively influenced task value through the mediation of perceived immediacy and information flow. This indicates that a large proportion of whether students have task value in a course hinge upon whether students understand the rationale behind instructors’ pedagogical choices.

The Interrelationships Between Chinese English-as-a-Foreign-Language Teachers' Immediacy and Clarity with Learners' Boredom.

Since boredom significantly contributes to diminished motivation among learners of English as a Foreign Language (EFL), there is a need to identify factors that influence boredom. Amidst various elements that can precipitate students' boredom, educational-related concepts have garnered particular attention, with the learning environment emerging as a chief focal point due to its consequential importance to learners. Specifically, the role of teachers' clarity and immediacy in manipulating learners' performance, enthusiasm, and involvement has been widely recognized. Consequently, in this study, we scrutinized the impact of EFL teachers' immediacy and clarity in mitigating learners' boredom. To this end, we collected data from 383 Chinese students through the administration of three scales measuring their perceptions of teacher clarity, teacher immediacy, and learners' boredom. We identified significant associations between teachers' clarity and immediacy and learners' boredom. In Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) analysis, both teacher immediacy and clarity were robust predictors of students' boredom, with about 48% of the variance in students' boredom accounted for by teachers' immediacy, and 53% of this variance attributed to teachers' clarity. We elaborate upon the implications of these findings in our discussion.

The Power of Planning: How Lesson Plans Enhance Teacher Clarity and Classroom Management

Effective teachers rely on clear communication and well-managed classrooms to foster student engagement and achievement. This study investigates the impact of lesson planning on these crucial aspects of teacher effectiveness. By analyzing existing research, the paper finds a positive connection between lesson planning and both teacher clarity and classroom management. Lesson plans equip teachers with the tools to organize content logically, anticipate student difficulties, and develop clear instructional strategies, leading to reduced student confusion and enhanced communication. Furthermore, lesson planning allows for proactive strategies to address potential classroom challenges, promoting a more structured and efficient learning environment. This paper contributes to the existing research by emphasizing the multifaceted benefits of lesson planning, not just for teacher clarity but also for creating a well-managed learning environment that fosters student engagement.

TEACHER TECH-CREATIVITY FOSTERING BEHAVIOUR AS DETERMINANT OF PRIMARY SCHOOL MATHEMATICS TEACHER CLASSROOM PRACTICES

This research investigated teacher technological-creative fostering behaviour as determinant of teacher classroom practices in private primary schools in the Makurdi Local Government Area, Benue State, Nigeria. This study adopted the correlational research design. The population was all teachers in private primary schools in Makurdi. A sample of 70 mathematics teachers was drawn from 50 private primary schools. Two researcher-structured instruments were used for data collection, namely; the Mathematics Teacher Tech-Creativity Inventory (MTTI) and the Mathematics Teacher Classroom Practice Inventory (MTCPI). Correlation, scatterplots, and histograms were used to answer research questions, while analysis of variance was used to test the hypotheses at .05 level of significance. The following were the findings: the top three technological tools among others which mathematics teachers at the primary school level use most often to facilitate their teaching practices are, first interactive whiteboard, second, the calculator and third, internet surfing. Teacher tech-creativity fostering behaviour has a significant impact on teacher clarity, teacher classroom discussions, teacher feedback, teacher formative assessment and, teacher-teacher collaboration as teacher classroom practices. It was recommended that teachers of mathematics consider utilizing technology creatively during lessons as a catalyst to advance classroom teaching practices of teacher classroom clarity, class discussions, teacher feedback, formative assessment, and teacher-teacher collaboration.

Conditional indirect effects of clarity on students’ information processing: disentangling sources of cognitive load

ABSTRACT The effect of instructor clarity on student learning has been explained using cognitive load theory, which stipulates that students have limited mental resources to devote to activities pertaining to learning. To date, the effect of teacher clarity on students’ cognitive burden has been studied in reference to students’ extraneous cognitive load as clear teachers design their instruction to be straightforward and free from distraction. However, few instructional communication studies have examined how clarity’s impact on extraneous cognitive load interacts with the intrinsic difficulty of students’ course lessons to conditionally impact students’ learning processes. This study utilized data from 221 students to estimate a latent first-stage conditional process model with teacher clarity predicting students’ deep processing of course material through students’ receiver apprehension, dependent upon the intrinsic difficulty of the course material (despite teaching). Results indicated that as teachers were generally clearer during instruction, students more deeply processed their course material because they experienced less receiver apprehension. However, this indirect effect was greater when students had more working memory availability (i.e., lower intrinsic cognitive load controlling for clear teaching).

Unlocking Potential: The Impact of Success Criteria as a Self-Assessment Strategy on Elevating Mathematics Achievement among AlKhair School Students in UAE.

This research aims to investigate the impact of success criteria as a self-assessment strategy on enhancing mathematics achievement among sixth-grade students in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), aligning with the "We the UAE 2031" vision for education. Employing a quasi-experimental quantitative design, the study involved 120 sixth-grade students from Al Khair public school in Al Ain, UAE, with two classes serving as the experimental group (60 students) and two other classes as the control group (60 students). Pre-test and post-test scores on national mathematics assessments, as well as international Measures of Academic Progress (M.A.P) scores, were analyzed. Teaching strategies included detailed steps using success criteria, remedial activities, and consistency checks across groups. Data analysis encompassed descriptive and inferential statistics, including independent t-tests in SPSS. The findings revealed a significant improvement in short-term mathematics achievement among students exposed to success criteria-based self-assessment compared to traditional assessment methods with as mean score difference of 10.572 (p < 0.05). Additionally, the analysis of M.A.P test scores showcased a substantial median score difference of 15.92 in favor of the success criteria-based self-assessment group, further reinforcing the effectiveness of this approach in promoting long-term academic growth and proficiency in mathematical concepts. Success criteria were found to enhance teacher clarity, student learning, and self-regulation abilities. Recommendations include integrating success criteria-based self-assessment into teaching practices and policy frameworks to enhance student engagement and academic performance. Future research directions involve exploring diverse populations, conducting longitudinal studies, and comparing different self-assessment strategies for effective implementation in education.

The effect of instructor communication on affective learning in a supply chain management course

AbstractThe purpose of this study is to understand how instructor clarity and computer‐mediated behaviors influence students’ affective learning and technology self‐efficacy in online supply chain management (SCM) courses, which show how the instructor–student relationship affects online learning experiences. Data were collected through an online questionnaire using the Prolific human subject's pool. The data supported a model in which instructors’ clarity and computer‐mediated immediate behaviors indirectly influenced students’ technology self‐efficacy and affect for the course through the mediation of perceived immediacy. Affect for the instructor did not fit into the final model. The findings in this study help SCM instructors navigate the pedagogical pivot that may be required for the next unexpected event (pandemic, etc.) without compromising student learning goals.

Approbation of Pedagogical Communication Scales for Educational Online Interaction in Russian Universities

The current study is set to test pedagogical communication scales, specifically the teacher clarity scale and the teacher immediacy scale as being the most significant for the educational online interaction. The impact of teacher clarity and immediacy on cognitive, affective, and behavioral learning outcomes is shown. 409 undergraduate students (117 men and 286 women, average age - 20, SD = 2.1) completed survey instruments. Self-reported measures were used to evaluate their perceptions of teacher clarity and immediacy in the online learning process as well as students’ preparedness to use the behaviours recommended in the course. Furthermore, the relationships between instructor clarity and immediacy were investigated. The findings indicate that teacher clarity and immediacy had a direct correlation with cognitive, affective, and behavioural learning outcomes as well as with students’ intentions to use behavioral patterns recommended in the course. The paper sheds new light on instructional practice. Teachers can be recommended to consider clarity and immediacy of their communication with students in the online learning environment, as these characteristics contribute to the effectiveness in online learning.

Toward an Organising Theoretical Model for Teacher Clarity, Feedback and Self-Efficacy in the Classroom

Toward an Organising Theoretical Model for Teacher Clarity, Feedback and Self-Efficacy in the Classroom

The Influence of Teacher Clarity and Real-World Applications on Students’ Achievement in Modern Algebra

<p style="text-align: justify;">This study tested hypotheses of a hypothetical model determining the influence of teacher clarity and real-world applications while teaching group theory concepts on students’ achievement in modern algebra. The data collected from 139 undergraduate students were analyzed by regression analysis using Stata14’s structural equation model building and estimation. The path regression analysis of the model using SEM model building and estimation confirmed the research hypotheses. First, the utilization of real-world application problems while teaching group theory concepts has a significant influence on students’ achievement in modern algebra. Second, the clear presentation of group theory concepts by the teacher has a significant influence on students’ achievement in modern algebra. Finally, both teachers’ clear presentation of group theory concepts and utilization of its real-world applications have a significant influence on students’ achievement in modern algebra.</p>

Medical Students’ Communication Preferences for the Ideal Surgical Educator

Medical students have expectations and preferences for how they are taught by clinical surgical educators. The goal of this study was to (a) determine medical students' prioritizations of ideal teaching behaviors and characteristics for surgical educators, and (b) delineate which teaching behaviors and characteristics were considered to be less important for surgical education. Using a necessity (low) and luxury (high) budget allocation methodology to build their ideal surgical educator, MSIII and MSIV students (N = 82) completed a survey to prioritize and invest in 10 effective teaching behaviors and characteristics identified in the instructional communication literature (assertiveness, responsiveness, clarity, relevance, competence, character, caring, immediacy, humor, and disclosure). Repeated-measures ANOVAs indicated MSIII and MSIV students invested significantly more of their teaching budget allocations for their ideal surgical educator into instructor clarity, competence, relevance, responsiveness, and caring, both within a (low) necessity budget (F[5.83, 472.17] = 24.09, p < 0.001, η2p = 0.23) and (high) luxury budget (F(7.65, 619.76) = 67.56, p < 0.001, η2p = 0.46). Using paired t-tests, comparisons of repeated investments in low and high budget allocations revealed that students invested slightly more of a percentage of funds in instructor immediacy (+2.62%; t(81) = 2.90, p = 0.005; d = 0.32) and disclosure (+1.44%; t(81) = 3.26, p = 0.002; d = 0.36), indicating they viewed these teaching behaviors more as luxury components of surgical education rather than necessities, but these behaviors were significantly less important than their ideal prioritizations of instructor clarity, competence, relevance, responsiveness, and caring. Results indicated that medical students want a surgical educator who is largely a rhetorical educator; that is, a surgical specialist who clearly communicates expertise and relevant content that students can apply to their careers as future surgeons. However, a relational component was viewed as ideal by students as students also preferred surgical educators to be sensitive and sympathetic to their academic needs.

The effects of instructor clarity and non-verbal immediacy on Chinese and Iranian EFL students’ affective learning: The mediating role of instructor understanding

Drawing on the rhetorical/relational goal theory, this study examined the role of instructor clarity and non-verbal immediacy in affective learning through the mediation of instructor understanding. Data were gathered through close-ended questionnaires from 756 Chinese and 715 Iranian English as a foreign language (EFL) students, the factor structure and cross-cultural validity of which were supported via confirmatory factor analysis and testing measurement invariance, respectively. Path analysis results indicated that clarity and non-verbal immediacy positively predicted instructor understanding and affective learning; instructor understanding positively predicted affective learning; and understanding was a significant positive mediator in the relationship of non-verbal immediacy and clarity with affective learning. Except for the positive association of non-verbal immediacy with understanding which was significantly higher for the Iranian group, no significant difference was found between the Chinese and Iranian groups in all other associations, providing empirical support for the role of EFL teachers’ positive interpersonal communication behaviors in EFL students’ affective learning, irrespective of the cultural context.

The Effects of Teacher Communication During a Health Intervention on Older Adolescents’ Predictors of Health Behaviour

This study investigated the influence of teacher communication behaviours on predictors of alcohol use, snack intake, and physical exercise during a school-based health intervention. Additionally, we investigated whether students’ evaluations of the intervention mediated these effects. In a two-way prospective study, 389 adolescents (222 females; Mage = 16.64, SDage = 1.97) completed a survey. Key variables were teacher communication behaviours (i.e., clarity, verbal immediacy, and content relevance), predictors (i.e., attitudes, social norms, perceived behavioural control, and intentions) of alcohol use, snack intake, and physical exercise, and students’ evaluations of the health intervention were investigated. Results showed that teacher clarity resulted in significantly healthier injunctive norms and higher perceived behavioural control regarding alcohol use, and for exercise in significantly healthier attitudes, descriptive norms, and intentions to exercise. No effects of teacher clarity were found for snack intake. Furthermore, teacher clarity, verbal immediacy, and content relevance did not indirectly result in healthier predictors of health behaviour through evaluations of the intervention. Findings support the role of teacher clarity for intervention effectiveness, and advise designers of health interventions to incorporate the role of teacher clarity in their teacher training programs to achieve more desired changes in health behaviour.

Profiles of achievement motivation and instructional dissent

ABSTRACT We integrated perspectives from achievement goal theory and expectancy-value theory to investigate how undergraduate students’ (N = 475) achievement motivation might influence their instructional dissent. A latent profile analysis of students’ achievement goals, performance self-efficacy, task value, and perceived cost revealed four distinct subgroups of students characterized by differences in their achievement motivation. Students between these latent profiles differed to some degree in their use of expressive and vengeful dissent but not rhetorical dissent. When examining instructor clarity as a triggering agent of dissent, lack of clarity was positively associated with all three types of instructional dissent; however, auxiliary moderation models revealed that latent profile membership did not moderate these effects. Our results suggest that although instructor clarity has similar effects on students’ instructional dissent—regardless of their latent profile membership—students still experience some differences in instructional dissent which can be explained by their achievement motivation profiles.

Analisis Kesulitan Belajar Matematika Siswa Kelas II Pada Materi Nilai Tempat di SDN Gayamsari 01 Semarang

Mathematics learning in elementary school is a subject that must be studied by students. Mathematics has benefits that students can feel for themselves, especially in students' lives. Students of SD N Gayamsari 01 have difficulty writing number symbols, understanding place values, and difficulty in arithmetic operations. The purpose of the study was to describe what learning difficulties were experienced by class II students in the place value material at SD N Gayamsari 01 Semarang and to describe what factors caused learning difficulties for class II students in the place value material at SD N Gayamsari 01 Semarang. Collecting data obtained by observation, tests, interviews and documentation.The difficulties experienced by the second grade students of the Gayamsari State Elementary School in the place value material, namely errors in accuracy, understanding the concept and the calculation process. Factors that cause student difficulties are caused by internal and external factors. Internal factors of students include intellectual and emotional factors such as self-confidence, interest in learning and motivation to learn. While the external factors of students include the teacher's clarity in explaining, class conditions and family environment.

IMPROVING SIMPLE READING ABILITY IN SLBC STUDENTS CLASS D5 SLB KEMBAR KARYA DEVELOPMENT 3 USED CITIES

Learning objectives must be a predetermined behavior formulation to belong and appear to students as a result of making learning that has been carried out by the teacher's clarity in conveying, informing and explaining systematically. This study aims to determine how much the increase in learning achievement in reading simple sentences consisting of 3-5 words in mentally retarded children in grade D2 using the drill method. The research method used is Action Research. This study uses the model developed by Kurt Lewin based on the basic concept that action research consists of four main components, namely: Planning (Planning); Action (Acting); Observation (Observing); Reflection (Reflecting). The results of the study on the ability to read simple sentences consisting of 3-5 words, showed that before being given a drill approach class action with picture and picture aids, children became interested in reading word for word simple sentences that were read or spoken to him.

The Constructive Role of Teacher Enthusiasm and Clarity in Reducing Chinese EFL Students' Boredom.

With the rise of positive psychology, the role of teachers’ emotions and interpersonal communication skills has been recently highlighted in the literature. However, the preventive role of teacher enthusiasm and clarity in reducing EFL students’ boredom has not caught sufficient attention among L2 scholars. Against this gap, this article, first, presented the definitions, dimensions, and conceptualizations of teacher enthusiasm, clarity, and students’ boredom. Next, theoretical and empirical backgrounds were provided to support the claim that enthusiasm and clarity of EFL teachers can stop students’ classroom boredom. Additionally, the study presented the implications and future directions of this line of research for different people such as EFL teachers, teacher trainers, and L2 scholars. The ideas can improve their awareness of teachers’ positive emotions, interpersonal skills, and their roles in L2 education.

Clarity and Immediacy in Technology Mediated Communication between Teachers and Students in Tertiary Education in Russia

ABSTRACT The introduction of digital learning systems in higher education all over the world has transformed the scope of teaching and learning significantly. The current study examined the relationships between historically prominent teacher communicative behaviors – clarity and immediacy – and student communication satisfaction in technology-mediated learning in Russia. We analyzed the information technology elements and visual cues contributing to teacher clarity and immediacy in technology-mediated communication and, consequently, leading to student communication satisfaction. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 43 students who studied in Microsoft Teams classrooms between October 2020 and February 2021. The interview questions included asking for an opinion on student communication satisfaction as well as teacher clarity and immediacy. The respondents also described the IT elements and visual cues which they considered the most effective in online education. A qualitative content analysis was used to analyze the data collected through the interviews. The results showed that the level of student communication satisfaction varied significantly depending on the level of perceived teacher clarity and immediacy. A slight preference for more immediacy in technology-mediated communication was demonstrated by respondents. Furthermore, it was found that such IT elements and visual cues as presentations, screen sharing, web-based media, and documents uploaded onto a web platform intensified teacher clarity, whereas communication in online classes with web cameras on made the educational process more immediate. The combination of visual cues was especially appreciated. Learning implications for the connections between teacher clarity and immediacy and student communication satisfaction are discussed.

EFL/ESL Students' Perceptions of Distributive, Procedural, and Interactional Justice: The Impact of Positive Teacher-Student Relation

The correlation between teacher-student interpersonal relationships and students' perception of different dimensions of justice using in the learning context has been found absolutely important since it can provide a nice learning environment for students in which they can comfortably learn a new language. Even though several studies have been carried out regarding the above-mentioned points, a review paper that focuses on the importance between these two variables by which students' learning is influenced seems of great interest. In this study, the author has strived hard to highlight the interplay between the aforementioned variables. First of all, Justice and its dimensions including distributive, procedural, and interactional justice are described in the learning context. Then the effect of the positive relationship between teachers and students is accentuated. Following it, different types of characteristics that are crucially noticeable considering teacher-student interpersonal relationship including “teachers care,” “teacher clarity,” “teacher confirmation,” “teacher credibility,” “teacher immediacy,” “teacher stroke,” “teacher-student rapport” are discussed. The term “positive psychology” accompanied by its factors is defined then. What is discussed then is classroom justice as a teacher-student interpersonal factor. Finally, it is concluded with implications and suggestions for future studies.