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Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between students' communication expectations, experiences, and their perceptions of learning, interaction, and satisfaction. Prior to investigating these relationships, an instrument assessing student communication expectations was developed. The resulting Student Communication Expectation Instrument (SCEI) was pilot tested and re-administered to 554 college students on the first day of class and at mid-semester.
Next, the SCEI was factor analyzed revealing a two-factor solution. The first factor was clarity/completeness and the second factor enthusiasm/relational development. Both factors were found to be reliable and valid.
During the final week of the semester, 346 subjects from the original sample completed the Student Evaluation of Educational Quality Survey (SEEQ). Only those factors representative of learning, interaction, and course/instructor satisfaction were subject to further analyses. Reliability and validity of the SEEQ has been documented.
Results of this investigation affirmed that mid-semester communicative experiences accounted for moderate amounts of variance in relation to student ratings of learning, interaction, and satisfaction. Initial communication expectations explained little variance in these criterion variables. Also, the mid-semester dimensions of the SCEI (i.e., clarity/completeness, enthusiasm/relational development) explained more variance in student course ratings than did initial expectations. That is, clarity/completeness accounted for a significant amount of variance in learning. Enthusiasm/relational development made a unique contribution to the variance in class interaction. Both predictor variables were significantly related to course/instructor satisfaction.
Any number of reasons can be posited for these findings. On of the most plausible is that students have little a priori knowledge as to a teachers' communicative ability at the tiem they completed the SCEI. Thus, "getting to know" the teacher put students in a better position to judge whether the instructor had certain communicative competencies. Finally, from a communicative perspective, this study provided insight for those teachers who are concerned with improving their course evaluations.
