Communicating Power in a Classroom

McCroskey and Richmond began a series of studies on the power-based strategies used by teachers in the classroom and inductively derived a typology of actual strategies and sample messages. They are named Behavior Alteration Techniques(BATs) and Behavior Alteration Messages (BAMs) respectively. In the classroom, power-based strategies contribute to the teacher\u27s ability to maximize student on-task behaviors and minimize student disruptions that interfere with the learning process. Thus in this paper, first of all I will review a series of 7 studies mainly by focusing on the construction procedures of BATs and BAMs and their effectiveness. After that I will evaluate BATs in relation to compliance-gaining strategies and discuss the power of nonverbal cues in Japanese culture