Immediacy, humor, power distance, and classroom communication apprehension in Chinese college classrooms

Abstract

This study investigates classroom communication apprehension in Chinese college classrooms in reference to perceived instructor verbal and nonverbal immediacy and humor orientation, and student individual-level power distance. Results of Pearson correlation indicate that both student individual-level power distance and student perceptions of instructor humor orientation are correlated positively and significantly with classroom communication apprehension, but multiple regression analyses suggest that student individual-level power distance is the only effective predictor of classroom communication apprehension. Perceived instructor verbal and nonverbal immediacy are not associated significantly with classroom communication apprehension. Limitations, implications, and suggestions for future research are addressed.

Keywords:

• Classroom Communication Apprehension
• Immediacy
• Humor
• Power Distance

Notes

Qin Zhang (MA, Central China Normal University, 1991) is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Communication and Journalism at the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, Email: [email protected]. The author thanks Dr. Everett Rogers, Brad Hall, John Oetzel, and two anonymous reviewers for their insightful feedback on an earlier draft. The author also wishes to thank Weihong Zhu for her assistance with data collection and Cuixuan Zhu for his assistance with data entry. An earlier version of this paper was presented at the National Communication, Chicago, IL, 2004.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Qin Zhang

Qin Zhang (MA, Central China Normal University, 1991) is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Communication and Journalism at the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, Email: [email protected]. The author thanks Dr. Everett Rogers, Brad Hall, John Oetzel, and two anonymous reviewers for their insightful feedback on an earlier draft. The author also wishes to thank Weihong Zhu for her assistance with data collection and Cuixuan Zhu for his assistance with data entry. An earlier version of this paper was presented at the National Communication, Chicago, IL, 2004.