| Abstract: | Teachers appreciate nonverbally responsive students, but what is missing is an understanding of the direct influence of teachers' self-perceptions on their perceptions of how engaged their students are in class. Using the emotional contagion theory as a lens, this study examines the premise that satisfied instructors expect students to mirror their own behaviors in the classroom through being nonverbally responsive. Results of the regression model confirm that teachers' perceptions of their own confirmation behaviors most strongly predict their perceptions of how nonverbally responsive students are in class. Thus, instructors who are more expressive will likely induce students to be more expressive, leading them to determine their students are being more nonverbally responsive. Further, expressive instructors will be more attuned to student interaction because they may subconsciously expect students to mirror their actions through nonverbal behaviors—they will look for it. Additionally, satisfied instructors view their students as satisfied and look for these feelings to be exposed via nonverbal response behaviors. Implications for teacher training and mentoring programs are discussed. |
