Effects of Instructor Immediacy Behaviors in Online Learning Environments

Article Critique Worksheet
1. Correctly reference the article using current APA format.
Schutt, M., Allen, B.S. & Laumakis, M.A. (2009). The Effects of Instructor Immediacy Behaviors in Online Learning Environments. The Quarterly Review of Distance Education, 10(2), 135-148.
2. What is the purpose of the study? In the present study, the authors sought to assess and evaluate the perception of participants in relation to the social presence as well as immediacy of the instructor and how immediacy relates to social presence in online educational settings.
3. List the hypotheses; then, underline and label the corresponding independent/dependent variables or predictor/criterion variables. Are there any covariates? If so, name them.
Several hypotheses were analyzed by the authors in the context of the highlighted educational settings. The hypotheses have been stated below:
Hypothesis 1i: Participants who view the high-immediacy sessions will indicate higher perception of instructor immediacy than the participants who view the low-immediacy sessions.
Hypothesis H1ii: Participants who view the high-immediacy, video and audio with text chat session will indicate the highest perception of instructor immediacy.
Hypothesis H2i: Participants who view the high-immediacy sessions will indicate higher perception of instructor social presence than the participants who view the low-immediacy sessions.
Hypothesis H2ii: Participants who view the high-immediacy video and audio with text chat session will indicate the highest perception of instructor social presence.
Hypothesis H3: There is a positive relationship between perceived instructor immediacy and perceived instructor social presence.
4. What research design is used and why?
The authors made use of an experimental design. In this case, participant assignment to treatment groups was random. The choice of design in this case advanced to the authors control of the situation, thus effectively permitting them to establish causation.
5. What type of sampling method is used?
The authors made use of simple random sampling, which is a probability sampling method. Towards this end, participants were assigned (randomly) to the relevant treatment groups.
6. What are the names of the instruments (provide a list)? Are the instruments valid and reliable? Why or why not?
The authors made use of a questionnaire founded on Gorham’s Verbal Immediacy Behavior Scale and Richmond et al. Nonverbal Immediacy Behavior Scale to measure instructor immediacy; and Garrison el al. social presence scale. It is important to note that high reliability levels were indicated via the computation of Cronbach’s alpha in relation to the social presence scale as well as NIB and VIB scale items internal consistency.
7. Do the author(s) give enough detail regarding the procedure so that the study could be replicated? How or how not?
The details given by the authors regarding the procedure are sufficient for a study of this nature to be replicated. This is more so the case given that in addition to explaining the participant selection approach, the authors also clearly highlight the data collection techniques. Instrumentation has also been sufficiently discussed, with special regard to the survey, instructor immediacy, and social presence.
8. What type of statistical analysis is used and why?
The authors made use of a one-way ANOVA. Towards this end, the authors sought to assess statistical significance – with significance (F (3, 433) = 97.972, p = .000) being demonstrated by the ANOVA collating the four groups. The research hypotheses were supported.
9. What are the major conclusions of the study? How do they relate to the hypothesis?
Results from the study indicated that “participants assigned to the high-immediacy sessions indicated significantly higher perception of instructor immediacy and social presence than participants assigned to the low-immediacy sessions.” It is also important to note that the correlation between the perception of participants with regard to the immediacy behaviors of instructors and the perception of participants with regard to the social presence of instructors was found to be strong. The findings of the present study supported the first, second, and third hypotheses. The hypotheses have been listed elsewhere in this text.
10. Do the author(s) suggest any future studies to resolve ambiguities in the present study or to answer questions raised by the present study?
The authors make no mention of the need for future studies to resolve ambiguities in the present study or further evaluation of the questions raised therein.