Communication and Learning

Ann Bainbridge Frymier

15Students’ Motivation to Learn

Abstract: Increasing students’ motivation is central to improving students’ learning in the classroom. This chapter’s major premise is that instructors at all levels impact students’ motivation to learn through the communication choices they make in their teaching. Four instructor communication behaviors are discussed and include nonverbal immediacy, affinity-seeking, clarity, and confirmation behaviors. These behaviors have consistently been linked to greater levels of student motivation and learning. Research on the relationships between these instructor communication behaviors and motivation and learning is discussed, along with the development of the motivation model as an explanation. ...