Date Available
6-27-2017
Year of Publication
2017
Document Type
Master's Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
College
Communication and Information
Department/School/Program
Communication
Advisor
Dr. Brandi Frisby
Abstract
This study seeks to explore an understudied population, Middle Eastern students, in the area of instructional communication. Of particular interest, the study seeks to understand how Middle Eastern students’ view their Western instructors’ verbal and nonverbal immediacy. The literature review establishes a conceptualization for verbal and nonverbal immediacy and the relationship between immediacy and gender, and immediacy and culture. Expectancy violations theory is used to understand the phenomena from an expectancy violations perspective and Hofstede’s dimensions will be used in an instructional context to understand how Middle Eastern students’ culture may influence students’ expectations. This study uses a mixed method approach to create a holistic views of Middle Eastern students’ expectations and expectancy violations. The survey method seeks to understand Middle Eastern students’ expectation for instructor verbal and nonverbal immediacy, and email responses seeks to understand expectancy violations and cultural influence on student expectancies. The results of the study show that Middle Eastern students view verbal and nonverbal immediacy as important factors in the student-teacher relationship and cultural factors play a role in students’ expectations.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.13023/ETD.2017.249
Recommended Citation
Alabdali, Mariam, "I CAN’T BELIEVE MY INSTRUCTOR DID THAT?! MIDDLE EASTERN STUDENTS’ EXPECTATIONS OF INSTURCTORS’ VERBAL AND NONVERBAL IMMEDIACY BEHAVIORS" (2017). Theses and Dissertations--Communication. 62.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/comm_etds/62
