Ethnicity, instructional communication and classroom systems

Abstract

The present study is the third in a series investigating how students' ethnic backgrounds relate to their views of instructional communication processes. Paired measurements of teacher immediacy, effectiveness and course utility were taken from Anglo‐American, Latino, African‐American and Asian‐American students at the middle and end of a ten week term. The results suggested that Anglo‐Americans viewed the course as less useful toward the end of the term, and immediacy and effectiveness appeared to be strongly related throughout the course. Immediacy was important earlier in the course for Latinos, while views of teaching effectiveness dropped. An evolutionary perspective was proposed to interpret the findings for African‐Americans in that their views of immediacy, effectiveness and course utility became more positive, and their judgments earlier in the course appeared to be causally related to later judgments. For Asian‐Americans, stable relationships emerged between immediacy and effectiveness, and effectiveness and course utility.

Key concepts:

• Ethnic background
• culture
• teacher immediacy
• teacher effectiveness
• course utility