Exploring the Relationship between Professor/Student Rapport and Students' Expectancy for Success and Values/Goals in College of Agriculture Classrooms

Abstract

Recent reports have indicated that many undergraduate students have become unmotivated and unen- gaged in the learning process. As a result, calls have been made for instructors in higher education to implement classroom interventions to help better engage students in the learning process. Research has shown that creating a hospitable learning environment can help increase students’ motivational levels, which should help increase student engagement. One possible way of creating a hospitable classroom environment is by increasing professor/student rapport. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to de- termine the relationships between professor/student rapport and students’ motivation, operationalized as expectancy for success and values/goals. This study was conducted with students enrolled in large clas- ses (50 or more students) in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences at the University of Florida. Participants in this descriptive correlational study mostly agreed that they possess good rapport with their instructors. Additionally, results showed that students have higher than intermediate levels of ex- pectancy for success and values/goals for the class. Lastly, a moderate positive relationship was found between rapport and students’ expectancy for success and a substantial positive relationship was found between rapport and values/goals.