Traits and Behaviors: Connecting in the Classroom

Abstract

Immediacy is a topic that has been frequently explored in communication and education research; however, it is not understood if perceptions of immediacy are related to certain behaviors or trait-based similarities between teachers and students. For this study, nine Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs) were observed and 76 undergraduate students surveyed in order to understand which factors are associated to perceptions of immediacy. Findings indicate that behaviors and perceived similarity are related to perceptions of GTAs being high in immediacy. No significant results were found with trait-based similarities. Students were also found to be more motivated to learn when they perceived their GTA as high in immediacy.