College Student Perceptions of Frequency and Effectiveness of Use of Relevance Strategies: A Replication and Extension

ABSTRACT

This investigation replicated and extended previous research on the behaviors that college students perceive their instructors use as a way to make course relevant to students’ interests, needs, and goals. In study one, using a sample of 87 undergraduate students, the four categories of relevance-enhancing behaviors (i.e., 10 teaching style, outside course, inside course, and methods and activities) identified by previous research were replicated. In study two, using a sample of 202 undergraduate students, study one findings were extended by assessing students’ perceptions of the perceived frequency and effectiveness with which instructors 15 utilized these four categories of relevance-enhancing behaviors. It was found that students (a) perceive their instructors to use the inside course and teaching style behaviors more frequently than the outside course and methods and activities behaviors and (b) rated inside course behaviors as more effective than the teaching style, inside course, and methods and activities behaviors for enhancing content relevance. Future research should consider examining instructors’ perceptions of their own use of relevance-enhancing behaviors with their students.

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KEYWORDS:

• Relevance
• relevancy-enhancing behaviors
• instructor communication behaviors
• effective teaching
• teaching outcomes

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Kevin C. Knoster

Kevin C. Knoster is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Communication Studies at West Virginia University.

Scott A. Myers

Scott A. Myers is a professor in the Department of Communication Studies at West Virginia University