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This study explored the relationship between the four dimensions of students’ feedback orientation (i.e., utility, retention, confidentiality, and sensitivity) and the four dimensions of students’ ...

We applied foundational intergroup research to a quasi-experiment with stay-at-home mothers (SAHMs) and working mothers (WMs) in order to investigate mothers’ contributions to the pressures of idea...

This study utilized Relational Dialectics Theory 2.0 to examine how adult adoptees constructed the meaning of the term parent following contact with a birth parent. Semi-structured interviews were ...

The purpose of this study was to investigate the memorable messages (N = 198) fathers transmit to sons about “being a man.” Five dominant themes emerged from fathers’ messages: work ethic, morality, strength, family provider, and other. Overall, our results suggest that fathers’ messages promote both traditional and contemporary gender ideologies. The prevalence of the work ethic and morality themes demonstrate fathers’ role in teaching sons about integrity, commitment, and fair treatment of others. Based on our findings, we suggest future researchers explore mothers’ gendered messages, fathers’ generativity, and father-son relational quality.

Several years ago, I was purchasing a gift for a colleague as a way to thank her for her service as a member of a committee I was chairing for the National Communication Association. As many of you...

This study examined two effective teaching behaviors traditionally considered by instructional communication scholars to associate positively with students’ academic experiences: instructor clarity and immediacy. Our study situated these teaching behaviors in a conditional process model that integrated two key assumptions about student learning: (a) the process by which student learning occurs is due, in part, to the sustained attention that students give to effective instructors (a mediated test of learning) and (b) some students self-regulate their learning despite the (in)effectiveness of the teaching they receive (a moderated test of learning). Three hundred and sixty-two college students were randomly assigned to one of four lecture conditions that manipulated instructor clarity and nonverbal immediacy in a 2 × 2 factorial experiment and completed post-test assessments including a test of cognitive learning. Results indicated that: (a) clear instruction with or without nonverbal immediacy cue...

The purpose of this study was to investigate the enactment of relational maintenance behaviors across three types of adult friendship. Participants (N = 139) completed an online questionnaire in which they were randomly assigned to an active, dormant, or commemorative friendship condition. After reading a description of the friendship type, participants identified one friend who met this description and indicated their use of relational maintenance behaviors with this friend. The results of multivariate analysis of covariance treating age as a covariate indicated that individuals reporting on an active friendship used the understanding, self-disclosure, assurances, and tasks relational maintenance behaviors at a higher rate than individuals reporting on a commemorative friendship.

This study explored the socialization of 118 Division-I student-athletes via the topics of memorable messages that they received prior to their arrival on campus. Ten topics were identified (i.e., desirable attitudes, hard work, physical skill or ability, opportunities, pride, inclusion, challenges, athletes as symbols, the importance of education, and the duration of college athletics) using first cycle coding and were subsequently categorized as either addressing the characteristics or experiences of collegiate student-athletes using second cycle coding. These findings continue to demonstrate that characteristics and experiences associated with roles are prevalent within athletes’ memorable messages but also highlight the inherent ambiguity and the contradictions regarding how to use these messages and balance the dual roles of being a student-athlete. This study provides a novel communicative lens for understanding athlete socialization but underscores the need to recognize receivers’ processing and ap...

The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which doctoral faculty advisors’ reports of their advisees’ use of relational maintenance behaviors are associated with the advisors’ perceived relational characteristics (i.e., liking, communication satisfaction, relational satisfaction, trust, and control mutuality) and relational uncertainty (i.e., behavioral, mutuality, definitional, and future uncertainty). Doctoral faculty advisors (N = 141) completed a questionnaire in reference to their relationships with a specific doctoral student advisee. The results of canonical correlations largely supported the predictions in that the advisors’ reports of their advisees’ use of relational maintenance behaviors were associated positively with the five relational characteristics but associated negatively with the four types of relational uncertainty. These findings extend both extant relational maintenance and advisor-advisee research.

The purpose of this study was to explore young adults’ motives for and content of extradyadic interactions with friends following a negative relational event in a romantic relationship. Focus group discussions with young adults revealed the following partner motives: improving affect, managing uncertainty, obtaining clarity, and entertainment. In turn, friends were motivated by issues of honesty, friendship quality, and a desire to protect or comfort their friend. Both partners and friends discussed the use of a variety of negative, neutral, and positive message content. Results provide an exploratory look at extradyadic interactions that may have important implications for relationship functioning.

Studies on family–work conflict among higher education faculty focus exclusively on research or promotion-related work outcomes and find significant challenges in balancing these two spheres. To ex...

Since the introduction of the student affect construct to the instructional communication field by both Scott and Wheeless (1977) and Andersen (1979), their work has heavily influenced the manner i...

The purpose of this investigation was to identify the types of citizenship behavior students use in the college classroom, and to examine the link between their use of citizenship behavior and their perceptions of classroom climate, interest, and self-reports of learning outcomes. Participants were 416 undergraduate students enrolled at a large Mid-Atlantic university. Three findings were obtained. First, participants use three types of citizenship behavior: involvement, affiliation, and courtesy. Second, involvement and courtesy are related positively to classroom climate, classroom connectedness, instructor rapport, emotional interest, and cognitive interest, whereas affiliation is related positively to classroom climate, classroom connectedness, instructor rapport, and emotional interest. Third, involvement and courtesy are related positively to three dimensions of affective learning, perceived cognitive learning, state motivation, and communication satisfaction, whereas affiliation is related positive...

This article reports the findings of two meta-analyses that explored the relationship between teacher clarity and student learning. Combined, the results suggest that teacher clarity has a larger effect for student affective learning than for cognitive learning. However, neither the effects for cognitive learning nor affective learning were homogeneous. Heterogeneous effects were observed for several additional subsets of the datasets. The first meta-analysis reviews the findings of 144 reported effects (N = 73,281) examining the relationship between teacher clarity and student learning outcomes. The cumulative evidence indicates that teacher clarity accounts for approximately 13% of the variance in student learning. The second meta-analysis reports a random-effects meta-analysis of 46 studies (N = 13,501). Moderators were examined and revealed that study design (i.e., survey versus experiment) moderated the impact of instructor clarity on affective learning. No significant moderators were found for cogni...

It is not much of a surprise that contemporary instructional communication scholars examine instructor–student interaction through an interpersonal communication lens. When the study of instruction...

The purpose of this investigation is to apply Gold's (1989) typology of sibling relationships to the study of adult-sibling use of relational maintenance behaviors and perceptions of relational characteristics. Participants were 196 adults who targeted a sibling whose birthday was closest to their own and completed a series of instruments in reference to the targeted sibling. It was found that whether individuals classified their sibling relationships as intimate, congenial, loyal, or apathetic/hostile was reflected in their self-reported use of relational maintenance behaviors, their perceptions of their targeted siblings' use of relational maintenance behaviors with them, and their perceptions of the relational characteristics associated with the sibling relationship.

Three studies (N = 1119) were conducted to replicate and expand upon Kearney, Plax, Hays, and Ivey's seminal research on instructor misbehaviors. In study 1 (n = 233), a replication of Kearney et al.'s study revealed 43 categories of perceived instructor misbehaviors; 27 of the misbehaviors were originally identified by Kearney et al. and 16 new misbehaviors were identified in this study. In study 2 (n = 650), the Instructor Misbehavior Scale (IMS) was created to operationalize underlying dimensions of instructor misbehaviors; three dimensions (i.e., antagonism, lectures, and articulation) were uncovered through principal axis factoring. In study 3 (n = 236), a confirmatory factor analysis provided construct validity support for the three-factor IMS. Additionally, the antagonism and lectures dimensions of instructor misbehaviors were correlated negatively with student learning outcomes (i.e., affective learning, cognitive learning, state motivation, student communication satisfaction) and served as unique...

Peer coworkers exchange a variety of messages in their organizational experiences. However, little is known about how peer coworker relationship quality affects expression of organizational dissent. This study utilized Kram and Isabella's (1985) typology of peer coworker relationships to examine their impact on lateral dissent expression and dissent messages. The results revealed that special and collegial peers engage in greater amounts of lateral dissent expression than information peers. No differences emerged between the types of peer coworkers relationships in their use of dissent messages. The study lends support to the notion that organizational dissent is influenced by peer coworker relationships.

This study investigated the relationship between organizational assimilation and the three types of employee dissent (i.e., upward, lateral, displaced). Participants were 186 full-time employees who completed a brief online self-report survey. Results of the study revealed that all seven dimensions of organizational assimilation (i.e., familiarity with coworkers, familiarity with supervisors, acculturation, recognition, involvement, job competency, role negotiation) were related positively to upward dissent, while two dimensions of assimilation (i.e., acculturation, involvement) were related negatively to lateral dissent. No significant relationships existed between the dimensions of organizational assimilation and displaced dissent.

Little research has systematically studied the influence of family structure on school-based parental involvement. Using data from parents of children enrolled in grades 1–12 in the United States and interviewed in the 2007 National Household Education Study, we (a) delimited 10 family structure types, (b) estimated the differential levels of parental involvement across these family structures, and (c) statistically adjusted these levels for differences in family resources. We found that biological married parents had the highest levels of variety and frequency of involvement in school-based activities. While the extent of these differences were significantly reduced after accounting for family resources, residual differences remained between biological married parents and all other family structure types across at least one of the parental involvement measures, except for biological cohabiting parents. Analyses found that differences in social and cultural capital best accounted for the heightened levels of involvement among biological married parents.

This study explored the presence of relational transgressions in the instructor-student relationship and examined the forgiveness process within this context. Students' descriptions of instructor relational transgressions were consistent with a typology of incompetent, offensive, and indolent misbehaviors. Student descriptions indicated that forgiveness varied based on the perceived transgression severity and transgressor blameworthiness of the instructor misbehavior. Offensive misbehaviors were perceived as significantly more severe and blameworthy than indolent misbehaviors.

Sport teams by definition can be considered a type of organization; yet, the incorporation of an organizational perspective has not been utilized to examine athletes’ interactions. The current study utilizes leader–member exchange theory as theoretical lens to examine the influence that athlete–coach communication has on relationships and communication with coaches and teammates. A sample of 158 former high school athletes produced results that indicate that athletes with in-group relationships with coaches report more satisfaction and symmetrical communication with coaches, and more task cohesion, social cohesion, and cooperative communication with teammates. These results highlight the importance of athlete–coach communication for influencing perceptions of relationships and communication with coaches and teammates.

Using men's (N = 125) reports of their relationships with their fathers and sons, the authors examined intergenerational transmission of family communication patterns (i.e., conformity and conversation orientations) and gender ideologies (i.e., masculinity, femininity, and androgyny). Significant correlations emerged between the conformity orientation and masculinity gender ideology and the conversation orientation and androgyny gender ideology. Additionally, results suggest men model their fathers’ conformity orientations but neither model nor compensate for their fathers’ conversation orientations. Findings support the links between communication patterns and gender ideologies, while demonstrating how men's identities are influenced by the ideologies they accept and transmit within the family.

The purpose of this study was to explore the role that equity plays in the adult sibling relationship in terms of the behaviors siblings use to maintain their relationships and their assessment of relational characteristics (i.e., commitment, trust, communication satisfaction, relational satisfaction, liking, and loving). Participants were 637 individuals who reported on a relationship with a sibling. Results indicated that (a) adult siblings in an equitable relationship use the openness relational maintenance strategy at a higher rate than adult siblings in an underbenefitted relationship, but not at a higher rate than adult siblings in an overbenefitted relationship; (b) adult siblings in an equitable relationship report higher levels of commitment, trust, communication satisfaction, relational satisfaction, liking, and loving than adult siblings in an underbenefitted relationship; and (c) adult siblings in an overbenefitted relationship report higher levels of trust, communication satisfaction, relatio...

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between instructors’ job satisfaction and perceptions of their own communicator style and socio-communicative orientation. Participants were 122 instructors from 51 academic units at a large Mid-Atlantic university. It was found that instructors’ self-reports of their job satisfaction were positively related to their use of the impression-leaving communicator style attribute, the relaxed communicator style attribute, the attentive communicator style attribute, the open communicator style attribute, and the responsive socio-communicative orientation dimension.

In this study, we explored peer relationships in the college classroom and how they affected students' perceptions of classroom connectedness and organizational assimilation. Participants were 170 students enrolled in a variety of classes at a large mid-Atlantic university. Students enrolled in a course with information peers reported lower levels of classroom connectedness, familiarity with coworkers, and job competency than students enrolled in a course with either collegial peers or special peers. No differences were found between special and collegial peers on any outcome variable. Results indicated that students with higher-quality peer relationships experience greater feelings of connection with their classmates and are knowledgeable about the tasks they need to perform in the classroom.

The purpose of this study is to extend the research conducted on perceived instructor verbal aggressiveness by identifying specific examples of Infante's 10 types of verbally aggressive messages used by instructors. Participants were 225 undergraduate students, who provided an example of a verbally aggressive message used by an instructor. From these examples, 9 types of verbally aggressive messages were identified: competence attacks, work ethic attacks, swearing, threats, character attacks, nonverbal behaviors, teasing, background attacks, and physical appearance attacks. Future research should examine both the extent to which instructors are perceived to use these 9 types of verbally aggressive messages and the reasons instructors report for why they use the messages.

We examine the extent to which career mentoring and psychosocial mentoring received from their advisors relates to advisee perceptions of advisor–advisee relational uncertainty. Doctoral students (N = 378) completed the Academic Mentoring Behaviors Scale (Schrodt, Cawyer, & Sanders, 2003), the Mentoring and Communication Support Scale (Hill, Bahniuk, Dobos, & Rouner, 1989), and the Relational Uncertainty Scale (Knobloch & Solomon, 1999). The results of a series of Pearson correlational analyses indicate that advisees' reports of received career mentoring and psychosocial mentoring from their advisors are negatively related to their advisor–advisee relational uncertainty. These findings emphasize further the importance of advisors' provision of mentoring support for their advisees.

We use data from over 25,000 U.S. parents interviewed in the 1996 and 2007 National Household Education Surveys to address two under-researched questions. The organizing framework for these questions is the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. First, did school-based parental involvement change during 1996–2007? Second, do the predictors of this parental involvement change during 1996–2007? We researched two empirical national trends from 1996 to 2007: (1) aggregate parental involvement levels increased, and (2) parents who have traditionally struggled to become involved in their children’s school continue to do so increasingly and disproportionately.

Courses: Gender and Communication Objective: Upon completing this activity, students will be able to articulate ideas for the development of a teen fashion magazine centered on authentic and healthy body images of women.

The purpose of this study was to investigate if college students' verbal aggressiveness and argumentativeness traits promote their tendencies to engage in instructional dissent (i.e., expressive, rhetorical, vengeful). Participants were 172 undergraduate students who completed a self-report survey measuring these traits and their dissent practices in reference to a particular class. Results indicated that (a) students' trait verbal aggressiveness was associated positively with communicating rhetorical and vengeful dissent, (b) students' trait argumentativeness was associated positively with communicating rhetorical dissent only, and (c) both verbal aggressiveness and argumentativeness were not associated with communicating expressive dissent. These results imply that instructional dissent is not a student reaction completely dependent upon perceived instructor wrongdoings in the classroom; it is also influenced by distal personality factors.

The purposes of this study were (a) to develop a new measure to assess doctoral advisees' use of relational maintenance behaviors with their advisors, and (b) to examine both advisees' (n = 636) and advisors' (n = 141) perceptions of their mentoring relationship using mentoring enactment theory (MET; Kalbfleisch, 2002). The results of principal-component analyses, confirmatory factor analyses, Pearson correlations, and a MANOVA indicate that advisees and advisors have similar perceptions of what behaviors advisees engage in to maintain their mentoring relationships. These behaviors are appreciation, tasks, protection, courtesy, humor, and goals. In support of MET, positive relationships were generally found between advisees' use of relational maintenance behaviors and advisors' provision of career support and psychosocial support in both the advisee and the advisor samples. However, these relationships were generally not found when conducting dyadic data analyses. Moreover, advisees' use of relational mai...

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between students' academic competitiveness and their involvement behaviors (i.e., student motives for communicating with their instructors, out-of-class communication with their instructors, and classroom participation). Considering the desire inherent among academically competitive students to outperform other students, it was predicted that students' academic competitiveness would be related positively to their involvement behaviors. Participants (N=246) completed a series of self-report measures. The results of Pearson correlation analyses largely provided support for the hypothesized association among students' academic competitiveness and their involvement in the learning process.

This study explored the relationship between students' communicative attributes (i.e., argumentativeness, assertiveness, Machiavellianism, and verbal aggressiveness) and their out-of-class communication with instructors. Undergraduate students (N = 245) completed a series of self-report measures. The results of correlational analyses indicated that students' self-reported argumentativeness and assertiveness were associated positively with their tendencies to engage in out-of-class communication with their instructors whereas students' self-reported Machiavellianism and verbal aggressiveness were not associated significantly with their tendencies to engage in out-of-class communication with their instructors. Implications and limitations are considered.

Our research goals are to make the case that parent-student discussions about college planning should be seen as a distinct college-planning activity and to identify and test the relevant predictors of these discussions. Findings from over 4,000 parents and their high school children show that parent-student discussions are enhanced when both the parents and students engage individually in college preparation, have higher college aspirations, and are more involved in the school and community. These activities of parents and students interact significantly to further enhance intergenerational discussions. The findings can inform current models and approaches to college choice as well as policies and programs that strongly emphasize parental involvement.

Course: Small Group Communication The purpose of this assessment was to examine whether differences exist between students who self-select their classroom work group members and students who are randomly assigned to their classroom work groups in terms of their use of organizational citizenship behaviors with their work group members; their commitment to, trust in, and relational satisfaction with their work groups; and their self-reports of affective learning and cognitive learning. Participants were 126 students enrolled in a small group communication course. While students who self-select their group members and students who are randomly assigned to their groups do not differ in their use of organizational citizenship behaviors with their classroom work group members, students who self-select their classroom work group members do report higher levels of commitment, trust, and relational satisfaction, as well as more affective learning and more cognitive learning, than students who are randomly assigned...

This study explored whether adult siblings engage in affectionate communication (i.e., verbal statements, nonverbal gestures, and social support behaviors) as one way to strategically and routinely maintain their relationships. Participants were 499 individuals who reported on a sibling relationship. It was found that adult siblings reported using verbal statements, nonverbal gestures, and social support behaviors as strategic relational maintenance behaviors more frequently than as routine relational maintenance behaviors. To garner a more comprehensive role that affectionate communication plays as a relational maintenance behavior among adult siblings, researchers should consider assessing both trait expressed and trait received affection in future research projects.

The purpose of this study was to examine a theoretical model explaining the influence of instructor power (i.e., coercive, reward, legitimate, expert, referent) on students' relational and social influence communication behaviors (i.e., student affinity-seeking strategies, student behavior alteration techniques) across two cultures. Participants were 445 undergraduate students from the U.S. (n=265) and China (n=180). Results of structural equation modeling revealed that perceived instructor referent and expert power had indirect effects (mediated by student communication satisfaction), and perceived instructor reward power had a direct effect, on both student affinity-seeking strategies and student behavioral alteration techniques in the U.S. In China, perceived instructor referent and legitimate power had indirect effects (mediated by student communication satisfaction) on both student affinity-seeking and student behavioral alteration techniques, whereas perceived instructor expert and legitimate power ...

Extant Facebook research focuses on how Facebook users develop and maintain relationships, while largely neglecting to identify specific communicative behaviors used to develop and maintain relationships through Facebook. Expressions of affection are, in part, used to maintain and develop relationships. Therefore, the purpose of this study was twofold. First, this study examined how college students express affection for their close friends through Facebook and identified sex differences in the amount of expressed affection and the perceived appropriateness of expressed affection through Facebook. Second, this study examined the extent to which trait affection given is related to the amount of expressed affection and the perceived appropriateness of expressed affection through Facebook. Undergraduate students identified and confirmed 29 types of expressed affection through Facebook and completed a battery of questionnaires. The results support prior affectionate communication research conducted in face-to...

This study examined whether relational quality indicators (i.e., relationship satisfaction, commitment, control mutuality, liking, respect) predict romantic partners' use of negative relational maintenance behaviors (i.e., jealousy induction, avoidance, spying, infidelity, destructive conflict, allowing control) and whether love predicts the use of negative relational maintenance behaviors after controlling for relational quality. Participants were 205 individuals currently involved in a romantic relationship. Results indicated that (a) negative maintenance behaviors are used in low-quality relationships, and (b) the negative relational maintenance behaviors of jealousy induction, avoidance, spying, infidelity, and destructive conflict were predicted by love styles after controlling for relational quality.

Courses: Family Communication, Health Communication Objectives: Students will create examples of affectionate communication when acting as healthcare providers or family members

Having a child is a major determinant of geographic mobility. Little is known, however, about the opposite process—whether geographic mobility is a determinant of fertility. Drawing on social and human capital theories and research on fertility and migration to develop competing hypotheses, the author examines the effects of mobility on changes in birth intentions among married couples. The data are from a U.S. national sample of married couples interviewed five times between 1980 and 1997, with a final sample size of 3,953 person records. Results from multinomial logistic regression equations that control for clustering show conclusively that both short- and long-distance moves increase the odds that couples change their birth intentions, although in both positive and negative directions (i.e., bidirectional). These effects of mobility vary across different levels of human and social capital, with a trend indicating that couples desire children at higher levels of both forms of capital.

This study examined grandchildren's use of relational maintenance behaviors when interacting with their grandparents and how these behaviors are associated with grandchildren's perceived communication satisfaction with their grandparents and grandparent provision of communication-based emotional support. Undergraduate students (N = 238) reported on their relationships with the grandparent with whom they had the most recent interaction. Results indicate that grandchildren use (in descending order) the positivity, conflict management, tasks, assurances, networks, advice, and openness relational maintenance behaviors. Perceived grandparent provision of communication-based emotional support and grandchildren communication satisfaction with grandparents were directly and positively related to grandchildren's use of relational maintenance behaviors.

The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which student motives for communicating with an instructor (i.e., relational, functional, participatory, excuse-making, and sycophancy) were associated with perceived instructor misbehaviors (i.e., incompetence, indolence, and offensiveness). Participants were 265 students who completed a questionnaire consisting of the Student Communication Motives Scale and the Teacher Misbehaviors Scale in reference to a class they had attended prior to data collection. Results of canonical correlation analysis revealed that (a) students who perceived their instructors as offensive, indolent, and, to a lesser extent, incompetent, were unmotivated to communicate for the functional motive; and (b) students who perceived their instructors as incompetent were unmotivated to communicate for the relational, participatory, and sycophancy motives, and, to a lesser extent, the functional and excuse-making motives.

Based on the typology posited by Kram and Isabella (1985) that identifies three peer relationships present in organizations (i.e., information, collegial, and special), this assessment examined the association between students' perceptions of their in-class group members and six group outcomes (i.e., grouphate, cohesion, relational satisfaction, consensus, affective learning, and cognitive learning). Participants included 248 undergraduate students enrolled in two sections of an introductory small group communication course. Results revealed that students who rated group members to be information peers, rather than collegial peers or special peers, reported higher levels of grouphate and lower levels of cohesion, relational satisfaction, consensus, and cognitive learning.

A growing body of research indicates that classroom justice concerns are important to students. When students perceive their instructors are not concerned about justice, they report a host of negative outcomes. Due to the importance of justice assigned to students, the present study sought to understand how instructors view justice. Results indicated that college instructors view interactional justice as the most important fairness component. Their use of power and antisocial behavior alteration techniques (BATs) plays a role in these fairness judgments, accounting for a significant amount of variance in procedural and interactional justice. However, power and antisocial BATs use appear to play little role in instructors' concerns over distributive justice. Results, limitations, and future research are discussed.

This study tested two models of instructor credibility as a potential mediator of instructors’ prosocial communication behaviors (e.g., confirmation, clarity, and nonverbal immediacy) and students’ learning outcomes. Participants included 1,416 undergraduate students from four different institutions across the United States. Results of structural equation modeling provided greater support for the partial mediation model, whereby credibility partially mediated the effects of teacher confirmation and clarity on learning outcomes, though it fully mediated the effects of nonverbal immediacy. When combined, students’ perceptions of all three prosocial behaviors accounted for 66% and 57% of the variance in credibility and learning outcomes, respectively. Among the more important implications of this research is the finding that confirming behaviors and clarity have both direct and indirect effects on student learning.

This study examines the extent to which Swedish (n = 103) and American (n = 113) college students’ cultural background influences their communicative attributes. Students’ communication apprehension, self-perceived communication competence, willingness to communicate, out-of-class communication with instructors, in-class participation, and motives for communicating with their instructors were examined. Results of MANOVA tests indicate that American college students are more willing to communicate, perceive themselves as more communicatively competent, participate more in class, and are more motivated to communicate with their instructors for relational, functional, excuse-making, participatory, and sycophantic reasons. However, students’ communication apprehension and out-of-class communication with their instructors did not differ between the two cultures.

The purpose of this study was to identify the nagging behaviors college students report using with their instructors. One hundred and forty-four participants described instances in which they nagged instructors or instances in which they observed others nagging instructors. Students identified eight strategies for nagging instructors: the elicit student support nag, the demonstrate frustration with instructor nag, the strike a deal nag, the challenge instructor authority nag, the elicit sympathy nag, the suggest instructor incompetence nag, the flatter instructor nag, and the barrage instructor with requests nag.