Pitt-Bradford Professors Publish
Research Paper on Student Texting
A newly published article by two Pitt-Bradford professors examines the relationship between student texting and professors’ teaching.
Dr. Fang-Yi Flora Wei, assistant professor of broadcast communications, and Dr. Y. Ken Wang, assistant professor of computer information systems and technology, published “Students’ Silent Messages: Can Teacher Verbal and Nonverbal Immediacy Moderate Student Use of Text Messaging in Class?” in the fall issue of the scholarly journal Communication Education.
The researchers gave surveys to 228 Pitt-Bradford students, asking them about what levels of immediacy behavior (smiling, eye contact, calling them by name, etc.) professors used and how frequently the students sent and received texts in class (about three of each in a 45-minute class).
The researchers hypothesized that there would be a relationship between the professor’s communication immediacy and the students’ texting behavior. Due to students’ addiction and habitual use of texting, the analysis showed that the professors’ behaviors do not affect students’ use of text messaging during class.
However, they also asked students about their daily texting habits and, not surprisingly, those who were heavy text messaging users all of the time were heavy texting users during class.
“When somebody’s already addicted to texting, you cannot easily change their behaviors just because of their professors’ verbal and nonverbal immediacy,” Wei said, explaining that many professors feel that students texting in their classes must be their fault – that they are somehow failing to engage students.
It’s not their fault, Wang says. “Our research tells professors to ‘take it easy’ as once a student established the habit of texting, it is overwhelmingly powerful in his or her everyday behaviors, including in the classroom.”
Wei said the behavior is like that of “looking at a watch” – just something students do.
As to whom students are texting, Wei said it is mostly close family members for entertainment and friends and boyfriends or girlfriends for affection.
In addition to collaborating with each other, the researchers also received suggestions and comments from Dr. Lawrence Frey, a professor in the department of communication at the University of Colorado at Boulder, in a previous version written by Wei. Frey has also served as a professional mentor to Wei.
The texting phenomenon is a relatively new area of research that complements both Wei’s studies in communications as well as Wang’s in human-computer interaction.
Wei’s research focuses on mass media’s effects on children, computer-mediated communication and instructional communication. She and Wang hope to work together again and may continue their research on student texting.
Dr. Fang-Yi Flora Wei, assistant professor of broadcast communications, and Dr. Y. Ken Wang, assistant professor of computer information systems and technology, published “Students’ Silent Messages: Can Teacher Verbal and Nonverbal Immediacy Moderate Student Use of Text Messaging in Class?” in the fall issue of the scholarly journal Communication Education.
The researchers gave surveys to 228 Pitt-Bradford students, asking them about what levels of immediacy behavior (smiling, eye contact, calling them by name, etc.) professors used and how frequently the students sent and received texts in class (about three of each in a 45-minute class).The researchers hypothesized that there would be a relationship between the professor’s communication immediacy and the students’ texting behavior. Due to students’ addiction and habitual use of texting, the analysis showed that the professors’ behaviors do not affect students’ use of text messaging during class.
However, they also asked students about their daily texting habits and, not surprisingly, those who were heavy text messaging users all of the time were heavy texting users during class.
“When somebody’s already addicted to texting, you cannot easily change their behaviors just because of their professors’ verbal and nonverbal immediacy,” Wei said, explaining that many professors feel that students texting in their classes must be their fault – that they are somehow failing to engage students.It’s not their fault, Wang says. “Our research tells professors to ‘take it easy’ as once a student established the habit of texting, it is overwhelmingly powerful in his or her everyday behaviors, including in the classroom.”
Wei said the behavior is like that of “looking at a watch” – just something students do.
As to whom students are texting, Wei said it is mostly close family members for entertainment and friends and boyfriends or girlfriends for affection.
In addition to collaborating with each other, the researchers also received suggestions and comments from Dr. Lawrence Frey, a professor in the department of communication at the University of Colorado at Boulder, in a previous version written by Wei. Frey has also served as a professional mentor to Wei.
The texting phenomenon is a relatively new area of research that complements both Wei’s studies in communications as well as Wang’s in human-computer interaction.
Wei’s research focuses on mass media’s effects on children, computer-mediated communication and instructional communication. She and Wang hope to work together again and may continue their research on student texting.
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