Watch your mouth: Swearing and credibility in the classroom
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Issue Date
2020-05
Authors
Mullins, Emily
Advisor
Parcell, Lisa
Citation
Abstract
Swearing and credibility are directly related, as credibility is the perception of an
individual derived from their verbal and nonverbal communication. Credibility has a
fundamental impact in the realm of education, as the more credible an instructor is perceived to
be, the higher students score in cognitive learning. When an instructor demonstrates the three
elements of crediiblity – high expertise, trustworthiness and caring – students report that they
learned more. Swearing is a unique category of language in that it can reflect a broad range of
emotions in both the speaker and the audience. The same words can reflect or elicit joy, passion,
anger, frustration and humor. Through a series of three focus groups, this research examines how
those words can positively or negatively influence students’ perceived credibility of their
instructors. It specifically reflects that the context and intent of the swear words have a more
significant impact on the perceived credibility of the instructor than the words themselves.
Table of Content
Description
Thesis (M.A.)-- Wichita State University, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Elliot School of Communication