A Comparative Study of the Relationship Between Teacher Immediacy and Student Affective Learning in United States and Chinese College Classrooms

This current study was designed to investigate student perceptions of teacher immediacy in United States and Chinese college classrooms, and the relationship between teacher immediacy behaviors and student affective learning. A total number of 218 college students participated in this research by responding to instruments that measured teacher immediacy and student affective learning. The results indicated that U.S. students perceived a higher amount of nonverbal teacher immediacy than Chinese student s; but there is no significant different percept ion of verbal immediacy between the two samples. Correlations revealed a positive relationship between teacher verbal and nonverbal immediacy behaviors and student affective learning in both U.S. and Chinese college classrooms