Instructional Communication: An Applied Context
Amy Akers
Andy Johnson
University of Kentucky
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What is the context?
Instructional communication is the study of communication in the classroom. Sprague (1992)
defines instructional communication as “the investigation of the role of communication in the
teaching of all subjects at all levels,” (p.1). This entails teacher characteristics (e.g., clarity and
immediacy), student characteristics (e.g., learning styles), instructional methods, the pedagogy of
communication in general, and student-teacher relationships. It is an applied context because it
may be studied from an interpersonal communication perspective or a mass communication
perspective.
Why study Instructional Communication?
Vangelisti, Daly, and Friedrich (1999) explain the early necessity of communication education in
their book, Teaching Communication: Theory, Research, and Methods. They state that “The field
of communication was founded, in part, because of a felt need to make people better
communicators. That meant teaching them how to communicate more effectively, whether it be in
public settings (e.g., public address, groups) or in private (e.g., interpersonal),” (1999, p. xi). While
it can be argued that the communication discipline’s origins go back to Aristotle and the great
thinkers, the discipline is consider relatively new. With this in mind, the context of instructional
communication has only emerged in the recent past.
Formal institutions of education have since evolved from the necessities of earlier times. In order
to understand the purpose, products, and necessity of education, instructional communication must
be researched. It is imperative for educators to be aware of better ways to facilitate learning.
Understandings the dynamics, roles, relationships, strategies, and methods of instructional
communication allows for the education of students to become more effective and efficient.
How is Instructional Communication studied?
Major Variables: teacher, students, relationships between and among teachers and students,
gender, immediacy, clarity, power, empowerment, teaching methods, learning styles, socialization,
teacher and student misbehaviors, evaluations, assessing learning, humor, roles, metaphors
Major Theories: Since instructional communication is an applied context, theories from other
communication contexts can be used when theorizing about instructional issues. For instance,
when looking at the interaction between a student and teacher, interpersonal communication
theories would apply. For this reason, it is more effective to look at the categories of research
studied in instructional communication. Staton-Spicer and Wulff (1984) divide instructional
communication into six categories. These six categories are (1) teacher characteristics, (2) student
characteristics, (3) teaching strategies, (4) speech criticism and student evaluation, (5) speech
content, and (6) speech communication programs.
Research Methods
Quantitative:
experiments in the classroom to measure performance on standardized tests, ex. the study to
determine the relation between teacher immediacy and clarity in student performance
Qualitative:
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classroom observation and student/teacher surveys to determine educational goals and measure
performance toward those goals
Critical:
concerned with power relationships in the classroom; questions the validity and political
assumptions of standardized measurements
Who is doing the research in Instructional Communication?
*The following scholars are not ranked in any specific order.
Gus Friedrich
Jim McCroskey
Jo Sprague
Ann Darling
Pamela Cooper
Ann Staton-Spicer
Patricia Kearny
Anita Vangelisti
John Daly
Jody Nyquist
Virginia Richmond Jean Civikly-Powell
Michael Beatty
Derek Lane
Enid Waldhart
Donald Wulff
How is information being applied?
Quantitative information is being used to measure and increase the effectiveness of teaching
methods, understand the communication challenges of students, and design better classroom
arrangements. Qualitative and critical information is being used to create changes in the power
structure of the student-teacher roles.
How has instructional communication made a difference?
Teachers are learning more effective teaching methods through triangulation of instructional
communication research. Jo Sprague has argued that instructional communication research has
done little to make a real difference, because a vast majority of the research has focused on
quantitative methods. While quantitative research provides invaluable information, an overreliance on a single research perspective severely limits the applications and insights to
instructional communication at the detriment of students and teachers.
What is the future of Instructional Communication?
The research focus has switched from teacher-centered to a more student-centered approach.
However, some critical scholars, such as Jo Sprague, are focusing on the empowerment of teachers.
Increased use of computers in and outside the classroom creates opportunities and challenges for
teacher-student communication. Computers potentially allow for more flexibility and distribution
in distance learning classes. Critical scholars question the usefulness of computers in the classroom
and ask how the quality of the teaching will be affected.
In addition to computers, technology in the classroom is gaining importance with the creation and
inception of so many new technologies that are manipulated as communication channels for
teaching and learning.
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Greater focus on intercultural communication in the classroom, as the class population continues to
diversify, particularly in the increased number of Latino students and students with primary
languages other than English.
How can the work of communication scholars reduce the amount of violence in the schools?
Preparing Future Faculty (PFF) is another area of instructional communication that holds great
promise and potential for future instructional research.
NCA Division
Instructional Development Division
ICA Division
Instructional/Developmental Communication Division
Journals
Communication Education
Communication Teacher formerly Speech Comm Teacher
THE Textbook
(since there in not a Handbook of Instructional Communication)
Teaching Communication: Theory, Research, and Methods
By Anita Vangelisti, John Daly, and Gus Friedrich
In its 2nd Edition, 1999
Notable Schools or Programs
University of Washington
West Virginia University
Influential Articles Invaluable to Instructional Communication
Friedrich, G. (1987). Instructional communication research. Journal of Thought, 22, 4-10.
Hart, R.P. (1993). Why communication? Why education? Towards a politics of teaching.
Communication Education, 42, 97-105.
Scott, M.D. & Wheeless, L.R. (1977). Instructional communication theory and research:
An overview. In B. Rueben (Ed.) Communication Yearbook I (pp.495-511). New Brunswick, NJ:
Transaction-International Communication Association.
Sprague, J. (1992b). Expanding the research agenda for instructional communication:
Raising some unasked questions. Communication Education, 41, 1-25.
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Sprague, J. (1993). Retrieving the research agenda for communication education: Asking
the pedagogical questions that are “embarrassments to theory.” Communication Education, 42,
106-122.
Staton-Spicer, A.Q. & Wulff, D.H. (1984). Research in communication and instruction:
Categorization and synthesis. Communication Education, 33, 377-391.
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