I’ll See You On ‘‘Facebook’’: The
Effects of Computer-Mediated Teacher
Self-Disclosure on Student Motivation,
Affective Learning, and Classroom
Climate
Joseph P. Mazer, Richard E. Murphy & Cheri J. Simonds
This experimental study examined the effects of teacher self-disclosure via Facebook on
anticipated college student motivation, affective learning, and classroom climate.
Participants who accessed the Facebook website of a teacher high in self-disclosure
anticipated higher levels of motivation and affective learning and a more positive
classroom climate. In their responses to open-ended items, participants emphasized
possible negative associations between teacher use of Facebook and teacher credibility.
Participants offered recommendations for teachers regarding the use of Facebook and
other weblog services.
Keywords: Teacher Self-disclosure; College Student Motivation; Affective Learning;
Classroom Climate
In the traditional classroom, teachers may spend more time talking than their
students (McBride & Wahl, 2005). While teachers may spend a considerable amount
of time covering course content, they are also likely to self-disclose by sharing
information about themselves, telling personal stories, and conveying their personal
beliefs (Nussbaum, Comadena, & Holladay, 1987). A multidimensional construct,
self-disclosure is defined as ‘‘any message about the self that a person communicates
to another’’ (Wheeless & Grotz, 1976, p. 47). The amount of teacher disclosure refers
Joseph P. Mazer (M.S., Illinois State University, 2006) is a doctoral student in the School of Communication
Studies at Ohio University. Richard E. Murphy (M.S., Illinois State University, 2006) is an instructor in the
Department of Communication Arts at Wayne State College. Cheri J. Simonds (Ph.D., University of Oklahoma,
1995) is an Associate Professor in the School of Communication at Illinois State University. This project was
funded in part by a Teaching-Learning Development Grant from the Center for Teaching, Learning, and
Technology at Illinois State University. Joseph P. Mazer can be contacted at jm161106@ohio.edu
ISSN 0363-4523 (print)/ISSN 1479-5795 (online) # 2007 National Communication Association
DOI: 10.1080/03634520601009710
Communication Education
Vol. 56, No. 1, January 2007, pp. 1
17

to how frequently an instructor self-discloses; valence references the positive and
negative nature of the disclosures; and relevance refers to the relationship of the
disclosure to course content (Cayanus & Martin, 2002). The present study examines
the effects of teacher self-disclosure on various student and teacher characteristics via
a computer-mediated social network used primarily by students.
Computer Mediated Communication via Virtual Social Networks
Over the past 30 years, computer mediated social networks have been developing at
an increasing rate. While time constraints can often limit the amount of face-to-face
student socialization, students who use forms of computer-mediated communication
(CMC) (e.g., online meeting places or social networks) may experience more
opportunities to develop personal relationships than their face-to-face counterparts
(Walther, 1995). Scholars found that students who communicate via CMC with other
students use more direct uncertainty reduction strategies (e.g., more intimate
questions and self-disclosures) than students in face-to-face conversations (Tidwell &
Walther, 2002). Thus, the use of CMC in the instructional context could ultimately
have a positive effect on the student-teacher relationship, which can lead to more
positive student outcomes. Additionally, these findings may offer an explanation with
regard to communication between students and their teachers. O’Sullivan, Hunt, and
Lippert (2004) extend this notion by discussing various methods that increase
mediated immediacy* ‘‘the communicative cues in mediated channels that can
shape perceptions of psychological closeness between interactants’’ (p. 471). Factors
such as font use, language, and punctuation all affect student perceptions of teacher
immediacy via computer-mediated channels. In fact, Waldeck, Kearney, and Plax
(2001) found that students are more likely to communicate with teachers online who
utilize immediacy behaviors (e.g., use students’ first names, ‘‘emoticons’’ to convey
emotion) in email messages.
O’Sullivan et al. (2004) found that students who viewed an instructor’s website
with high levels of mediated immediacy, including forms of self-disclosure, reported
high levels of motivation and affective learning, indicating positive attitudes toward
the course and the teacher. Therefore, teachers can increase mediated immediacy by
including forms of self-disclosure on personal webpages; however, to date, research
has not explored the effects of teacher self-disclosure on student outcomes or teacher
characteristics via virtual social networks used primarily by students.
Web-based programs such as Friendster, MySpace, and Facebook offer users a
medium to create a virtual identity and network with friends and family. Unlike
Friendster and MySpace, Facebook operates exclusively for those in the academic
community and has become increasingly popular on college campuses. As the seventh
most trafficked website in the United States, approximately 8 million students from
over 2,000 colleges and 22,000 high schools use Facebook to post personal
information such as pictures, hobbies, and messages to communicate with fellow
students and instructors as well as friends and family (Lashinsky, 2005). This social
network is unique from others (e.g., Friendster and MySpace) in that it serves to
2 J. P. Mazer et al.