a. The research hypothesis addressed in the present study is that female teachers will exhibit greater sensitivity to nonverbal cues presented by students than male teachers. This hypothesis is based on assumptions regarding gender differentials in terms of such variables as sensitivity, listener responsiveness, and an understanding and appreciation of nonverbal communication cues (Marche & Peterson, 1993; Weatherall, 1998).
b. The independent variable in the study is the gender of the teacher (i.e., female vs. male). The dependent variable in the study is students' perception of teacher sensitivity to nonverbal communication cues. Subsumed within the dependent variable are nonverbal communication cues and the construct of sensitivity, which is generally attributed to women far more than to men (Aguinis & Henle, 2001).
c. The independent variable of gender will be defined by a simple coding strategy using the number 1 to represent the male teachers and the number 2 to represent the female teacher. The dependent variable of students' perceptions of teacher sensitivity to nonverbal communication cues will be nominally defined by students' responses to an instrument developed by the researcher.
II. Research Method 1a. The experimental design used to test the hypothesis will consist of a classical pre-test/post-test design with two experimental conditions labeled "A" and "B." The "A" condition will consist of students' rating a female teachers' sensitivity to nonverbal cues whereas the "B" condition will follow the same procedure with the substitution of a male teacher for a female teacher. The first two groups of students will rate each teacher and data generated by this effort will constitute the pre-test. The second two groups of students will follow the same procedure, constituting a post-test.
1b. Students will comprise the subjects in this experimental design. Students will be r...