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The Relationship Between Teacher-Student Interaction in University Classrooms and Learning Motivation: An Empirical Study

Author(s)

Jinhan Liu

Affiliation(s)

School of Foreign Languages, Nanfang College Guangzhou, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China

Abstract

This empirical study systematically examines the dynamic interplay between teacher-student interaction patterns and learning motivation in Chinese undergraduate classrooms, with particular focus on foreign language learning contexts. Adopting a social constructivist perspective, we develop and validate a comprehensive four-dimensional interaction framework (behavioral, cognitive, affective, and nonverbal) through a rigorous mixed-methods research design incorporating quantitative surveys, qualitative observations, and longitudinal tracking across three academic semesters. Our investigation specifically addresses three underexplored aspects in current educational research: (1) the temporal stability of interaction-motivation correlations in sustained classroom settings, (2) the unique predictive power of nonverbal communication elements in motivational outcomes, and (3) the cultural adaptation of social constructivist principles in Chinese higher education environments. The study sample comprises 150 undergraduate students and 10 faculty members from a leading foreign language institute, ensuring both ecological validity and methodological rigor.

Keywords

Teacher-Student Interaction; Learning Motivation; University

References

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