Perceived aggressive instructor communication and student state motivation, learning, and satisfaction

This study examined the relationship between perceived instructor aggressiveness (i.e., argumentativeness, verbal aggressiveness) and student outcomes (i.e., state motivation, affective learning, cognitive learning, satisfaction). Participants were 96 undergraduate students enrolled at a small midwestern university. Results indicate that students’ reports of instructors who are perceived as both high in argumentativeness and low in verbal aggressiveness were positively correlated with their own reports of state motivation, affective learning, cognitive learning, and satisfaction. Future research should continue to explore the role that perceived instructor argumentativeness and verbal aggressiveness plays in the college classroom.