An exploratory investigation of student and teacher perceptions of student‐generated affinity‐seeking behaviors

Abstract

A sample of college students was surveyed to construct a list of mutually exclusive affinity‐seeking categories. These categories identified affinity‐seeking strategies used by students to attempt to influence their teachers. Another sample, consisting of college teachers, was surveyed to construct a list of teachers’ perceptions of affinity‐seeking strategies used by students. Twenty‐six mutually exclusive categories were generated by the two groups. Results indicate that teachers and students agree that specific strategies are used most frequently: “conversational rule keeping,”; “elicit other's disclosure,”; “self‐inclusion,”; and “requirements.”;

Keywords:

• affinity‐seeking
• student‐teacher relationship
• student‐teacher communication