Student Emotional and Cognitive Interest as Mediators of Teacher Communication Behaviors and Student Engagement: An Examination of Direct and Interaction Effects

The purpose of this study was to examine the main and interactive effects of teacher communication behaviors and student interest on engagement. Participants included 518 undergraduate students who were asked to identify the first class they attended in a particular week and then use that class as the reference point for all survey items. The findings suggested that teacher immediacy more strongly predicted student emotional interest than cognitive interest, whereas teacher clarity was a stronger predictor of student cognitive interest. The results indicated a significant interaction effect between teacher immediacy and clarity and student cognitive interest, as well as a significant interaction effect between student emotional and cognitive interest and engagement. The final structural model accounted for 42% of the variance in student engagement. Theoretical and pedagogical implications are discussed.