The Impact of Instructor Decision Authority and Verbal and Nonverbal Immediacy on Korean Student Satisfaction in the US and South Korea

Abstract

This study compared Korean students in South Korea and Korean students in the US regarding their perceptions of instructor decision authority and verbal and nonverbal immediacy. Korean students reported higher instructor decision authority and lower levels of instructor verbal and nonverbal immediacy in Korean classrooms than in US classrooms. Verbal immediacy was positively related to the satisfaction of Korean students in the US, whereas it was not significantly related to the satisfaction of Korean students in Korea. Korean students studying in the US indicated lower satisfaction when their perceived levels of instructor decision authority were lower than their expected levels of instructor decision authority, compared to when their perceived levels were higher than their expected levels.

Keywords:

• Instructor Decision Authority
• Immediacy
• Expectancy Violation
• International Students
• Korea
• USA

Notes

1. Results of analyses comparing Korean students in Korea and Korean students in the US for their expected levels of instructor decision authority concerning US instructors can be obtained from the first author.

2. Results of analyses comparing Korean students in Korea and Korean students in the US for their expected levels of immediacy concerning US instructors can be obtained from the first author.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Hee Sun Park

Hee Sun Park (Ph.D., University of California, Santa Barbaram, 2003) is an associate professor in the Department of Communication at Michigan State University

Seungcheol Austin Lee

Seungcheol Austin Lee is graduate student in the Department of Communication at Michigan State University

Doshik Yun

Doshik Yun is graduate student in the Department of Communication at Michigan State University

Wonsun Kim

Wonsun Kim is graduate student in the Department of Communication at Michigan State University