Out-of-Class Communication Between Female and Male Students and Faculty: The Relationship to Student Perceptions of Instructor Immediacy

Research indicates that the positive benefits of informal student-faculty interaction, that is, student academic success, faculty evaluations, and student retention, may differ for female and male students. To add to the scant research on out-of-class communication (OCC), this study investigates the relationship between OCC and instructor immediacy. Participants, 302 students, completed instruments measuring verbal and nonverbal immediacy and aspects of OCC. Results indicate that female instructors were rated higher in verbal and nonverbal immediacy in a variety of contexts.