THE RELATION BETWEEN TEACHER SELF-DISCLOSURE AND STUDENT CLASSROOM PARTICIPATION

We hypothesised that teacher self-disclosure would be positively assoc iated with student classroom participation. This hypothesis is consist ent with the reciprocity effect that suggests that self-disclosure by one person will elicit self-disclosure from another. Teachers and stud ents in 64 undergraduate classes completed questionnaires that assesse d teacher self-disclosure, class participation, and students' willingn ess to participate in class. Correlational analyses support the centra l hypothesis. We suggest that the positive relation between teacher se lf-disclosure and class participation may not be solely a function of the examples of class concepts that such disclosures provide but may b e a function of the interpersonal atmosphere created by such disclosur es. The applied implications of this research are discussed.