Technical College Teachers’ Communication and Its Impact on Student Motivation

Abstract

Minimal research exists related to what technical college students perceive as effective teacher communication and how their perception influences motivation. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between teacher communication and student motivation to complete specific technical college courses. A cross-sectional survey design was employed to collect data about teachers’ communication and the degree of association with student motivation. The Teacher Communication Behavioral Questionnaire (TCBQ) and the Student Opinion Survey (SOS) were administered to 86 participants. Six null hypotheses were tested to determine teacher communication impact on student motivation. A Spearman rho correlation was computed along with a logical regression model with five teacher communication scales from the TCBQ as predictors. Results revealed that student motivation was correlated with challenging, encouragement and praise, non- verbal support, understanding and friendly teacher communication. There was no correlation between controlling teacher communication and student motivation. When communication dimensions were combined as predictors of motivation and tested using logistic regression, motivation could not be predicted. Results reveal a significant positive correlation between challenging, encouragement and praise, nonverbal support, understanding and friendly teacher communication and student motivation to complete courses.