Immediacy in the classroom: Student immediacy

A body of literature produced through the decades overwhelmingly supports t he assertion that nonverbal immediacy plays a vital rot in communication. T he present study reviewed a substantial portion of the nonverbal immediacy research focusing primarily on communication in the classroom. Research has shown that teacher nonverbal immediacy in the classroom context produces p ositive learning outcomes for students. The present study examined perceive d student nonverbal immediacy behaviors in the classroom with regard to the ir potential relationship with teachers level of positive affect toward tho se students. The results of this research found that teachers who perceived their students to be more nonverbally immediate with them in their classro oms expressed more positive affect for the students than did teachers who p erceived their students as engaging in less nonverbally immediate behaviors .