ERIC Number: EJ1286717
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2020
Pages: 18
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-2578-2568
EISSN: N/A
You May Call Me Professor: Professor Form of Address in Email Communication and College Student Reactions to Not Knowing What to Call Their Professors
Journal of Communication Pedagogy, v3 p82-99 2020
This experimental study tested whether a professor's form of address (FOA) and email signature influenced students' perceptions of the professor's credibility, approachability, and likability. Guided by communication accommodation theory, the study investigated the likelihood that students would reciprocate a professor's FOA in email communication. Participants were randomly assigned to one of seven conditions varying by professor FOA (doctor, professor, first name) and email signature (present or not), with a signature only control condition. Results indicated students were more likely to reciprocate the FOA when an email signature was not present. Open-ended responses suggested students perceive instructors more positively when instructors specify a FOA and feel anxious and uncertain when professors do not specify a FOA.
Descriptors: College Faculty, College Students, Interpersonal Communication, Electronic Mail, Student Attitudes, Teacher Student Relationship, Norms, Language Usage
Central States Communication Association. University of Montevallo, Department of Communication, 75 College Drive, Station 6625, Montevallo, AL 35115. e-mail: csca.ed@gmail.com; Web site: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/jcp/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A