Effect of Teacher’s Communication Styles on Students’ Engagement

Abstract

Teachers have an important role in the life of students. The central premise of this study is to ascertain the effect of teachers’ communication style on students’ engagement in higher education. The study attempts to corroborate that how teachers ‘walk and talk’ in the academic matters of their students. A quantitative survey comprising 40 items was used to know students perceptions about teachers’ communication style, which keeps them engaged in academic behaviors in the university in the context of Pakistani culture. The data was collected from three universities of Lahore, one public and two private. 521 students, both male and female participated in the survey and their responses were recorded and analyzed using SPSS 21. Descriptive and inferential analysis techniques were used to determine relationships among various constructs of communication styles of the university teachers. The objective was to find out what influences students and what disappoints them. Teachers’ communication style enriched with empathy and genuine feedback were found to be the most influencing factors engaging students in constructive academic behaviors, whereas, strict behaviors and use of harsh and difficult words by the teachers disappoint students.