Home | Business News | Browse by Publication | A | Academic Exchange Quarterly

The role of communication in student achievement.

Article Excerpt
Abstract

The primary focus of the institution of public education is student achievement. As a result, a significant amount of resources have been allocated to studying the student learning process. This paper continues to examine student achievement through a communicative lens and provides a literature review of the communication factors known to influence student learning. Factors such as immediacy, perceived caring, and communication apprehension in the teacher-student relationship are investigated. Suggestions for educating and training public school teachers about instructional communication are also included.

Introduction

The institution of public education has changed dramatically over the past several decades, as it has evolved, diversified, and specialized in an attempt to meet the expectations of numerous constituencies. More recently, curricula, teacher competencies, decentralization of school districts, and student achievement, among others, have become political issues in U.S. society; however, perhaps the most significant factor being investigated and scrutinized is student achievement. Special emphasis is given to student achievement because of its relationship to curricula and teacher competencies; a school system deficient in either of these areas is likely to produce students who are not prepared to meet the demands and needs of our society. At the state and institutional level, the ability to enhance curricula and develop teacher competencies that produce an increase in student achievement is based on effective communication between constituencies and organizations. In the public educational system, specifically the classroom, teachers must understand the communication process and how their personal communication may influence student achievement. Regardless of teaching pedagogy, philosophy, or classroom management style, effective communication is fundamental to the instructional process.

"Student achievement" is usually defined by a student's success in an academic discipline, an exhibited level of competency on some type of standardized test (e.g., SAT, ACT, state mandated exams), or grade point average. Additional identifiers of student achievement may include organizational participation, leadership activities, and behavior or conduct. For the purposes of this paper, student achievement is defined as an increase in academic development regarding student success in the classroom. Academic development is the demonstration of learning of subject content and process. There are several factors that have been linked to student achievement, ranging from parental involvement to students' emotional security, such as affluence of parents or the students' ability to effectively lead (Ryan & Cooper, 2000). This paper focuses specifically on the communicative aspects of learning and the influence communication has on student achievement. An examination of the communication factors immediacy, perceived caring, and communication apprehension as they...