Kelly A. Rocca’s research while affiliated with St. John's University and other places

The goal of this study was to integrate previous research conducted on student participation in the college classroom. Numerous studies have been completed on engaging students in classroom discussions, but no study has synthesized this information in the form of an extensive literature review. Here, previous research is pulled together to gain a comprehensive overview of the benefits of participation, logistical issues in participation, student confidence and personality traits in participation, the instructor's influence on and suggestions for increasing participation, the role of sex in participation, and participation in web-based courses. Specifically, academic journal articles that were published over the past 51 years (1958–2009) with student in-class participation as a major variable were included. Details of the selection process, a thorough review of the literature, implications for the classroom, and directions for future research are provided.

The sibling relationship is an involuntary one that individuals often maintain throughout life (V. G. Cicirelli, 1995; M. A. Fitzpatrick & D. M. Badzinski, 1994; P. Noller & M. A. Fitzpatrick, 1993). The authors investigated interpersonal communication motives in sibling relationships to examine the way in which siblings voluntarily maintain their relationships with one another over time. R. B. Rubin, E. M. Perse, and C. A. Barbato (1988) identified 6 primary motives that people have for communicating: affection, control, escape, inclusion, pleasure, and relaxation. Participants were 323 individuals who reported on why they communicated with 1 of their siblings. The authors found differences between male and females participants and between intact and nonintact families. The number of siblings and the birth order of siblings also appeared to affect motives for communicating. The authors discuss the implications and limitations.

The focus of this study involved the study of siblings over the age of 30. Specifically of interest was the relationship between verbal aggressiveness, credibility, satisfaction, and trust. Recruited participants were informed in a cover letter that this study involved communication in sibling relationships and that they needed to have a sibling in order to participate. Participants reported on their use of verbal aggression in their sibling relationships, their perceptions of their siblings' credibility, and how much trust and satisfaction they currently had in their sibling relationships. Results showed a negative relationship between the amount of verbal aggression in the relationship with perceptions of credibility, trust, and satisfaction. Trust and satisfaction were positively related to all three dimensions of credibility (competence, character, and caring).

This study examined the attendance behaviors of undergraduate students. Much of the existing literature had focusesd on student variables in determining attendance in the classroom. In the present study, the focus was on students' perceptions of instructor behaviors instead. Students completed questionnaires and reported their own attendance in class, as well as their perceptions of their instructor's nonverbal immediacy and verbal aggression. Results indicated that perceived teacher immediacy was positively related to student attendance in class, whereas perceived instructor verbal aggressiveness was inversely related to attendance. This study implies that teachers have the power to improve student attendance patterns by altering certain of their communicative behaviors.

Because argumentativeness and verbal aggressiveness are associated with positive and negative relational outcomes, respectively (Infante & Rancer, 1996), we were interested in whether perceived instructor argumentativeness and verbal aggressiveness are related to college student perceptions of classroom climate, classroom apprehension, and state motivation. Participants were 236 undergraduate students enrolled in a variety of communication courses at a mid‐Atlantic university. Results indicate that (a) perceived instructor argumentativeness was not related to perceived classroom climate whereas perceived instructor verbal aggressiveness was negatively related to perceived classroom climate, (b) neither perceived instructor argumentativeness nor verbal aggressiveness was related to perceived student classroom apprehension, and (c) perceived instructor argumentativeness was positively related to perceived student state motivation whereas perceived instructor verbal aggressiveness was negatively related to perceived student state motivation.

A study examined the participation behaviors of undergraduate students. Much of the existing literature has focused on student variables in determining participation in the classroom. Here, the focus was on instructor variables instead. Students completed questionnaires and reported their own perceptions of their participation in class as well as their perceptions of their instructor's nonverbal immediacy and verbal aggression. Results indicated that students who perceived their teachers as higher in immediacy were more likely to participate in the class. Students who perceived their instructors as verbally aggressive were less likely to participate in class. Limitations, implications for the classroom, and future directions for this line of research are discussed. (Contains 90 references.) (Author/RS)

This study examined the relationship between college students' (107 men, 123 women) state motivation and their instructors' perceived use of 10 verbally aggressive messages, e.g., attacks on competence, character, background, and physical appearance; malediction, teasing, ridicule, threats, swearing, or nonverbal symbols. Significant negative correlations were obtained between students' state motivation and instructors' use of seven verbally aggressive messages: attacks on competence, character, or background, malediction, ridicule, threats, and nonverbal symbols. These findings suggest that these types of verbally aggressive messages are related to students' state motivation whereas attacks on physical appearance, teasing, and swearing by the instructor are not related to students' state motivation.

Social support is an important factor in peoples' physical and psychological well‐being. Pierce, Sarason, & Sarason (1991) identified three social support styles: relationship support, relationship conflict, and interpersonal depth. This study was interested in the relationship between these three styles with perceived understanding in the brother‐brother relationship. Ninety‐six sets of brothers completed a questionnaire reporting on the styles they use with their brothers and their feelings of being understood. Results showed overall positive relationships between the styles of relationship support and interpersonal depth with perceived understanding. The style of relationship conflict was negatively related to perceived understanding. Additionally, brothers reported using similar support styles with one another.

The purpose of this study was to explore the association of sibling conflict style (i.e., integrative, distributive, avoidant) with perceived relational communication themes (i.e., immediacy, similarity, receptivity, composure, formality, dominance, equality, task orientation). Participants were 186 undergraduate students who reported on a recent conflict episode with a sibling. Results indicate that (a) siblings who used the relational communication themes of immediacy, similarity, receptivity, composure, and equality reported using the integrative conflict strategy, but not the distributive conflict strategy, and (b) siblings who used the relational communication theme of immediacy and to a lesser extent the theme of task orientation, but not the relational communication themes of similarity and equality, reported not using the avoidant conflict strategy.

The purpose of this study was to examine the interrelationships among perceived instructor communicator style, perceived instructor trait argumentativeness, and perceived instructor trait verbal aggressiveness in the college classroom. Participants were 236 undergraduate students enrolled in a variety of communication courses at a large Eastern university. Results indicated that (a) perceived instructor trait argumentativeness was positively related to the perceived instructor communicator style attributes of impression leaving, contentious, open, dramatic, dominant, precise, relaxed, attentive, and animated; (b) perceived instructor trait verbal aggressiveness was positively related to the perceived instructor communicator style attributes of contentious and precise, and negatively related to the perceived communicator style attributes of impression leaving, relaxed, friendly, attentive, and animated; and (c) perceived instructor use of verbally aggressive messages was related in some way to the perceived instructor communicator style attributes of contentious, impression leaving, friendly, attentive, animated, relaxed, dramatic, and precise.