ABSTRACT

Psychological reactance theory (PRT) has helped explain students’ resistant behavior. Additionally, several studies have explored resistant student behaviors as a product of an instructor’s syllabus policies. To build upon this line of research, a 2 × 2 experiment was conducted manipulating controlling language (low, high) and fairness (fair, unfair) within a syllabus policy. To increase external validity, the page on which the policy was located was drawn from an actual communication course. Controlling language and fairness had an interactive effect on perceived threat to freedom, reactance, and intent to comply. Specifically, freedom threat and reactance were lower and intent to comply was greater when the policy was fair and used low controlling language than when the policy was unfair and/or used high controlling language. The effect of freedom threat on intent to comply was mediated by reactance.

摘要

心理反抗理论 (PRT) 有助于解释学生的抗拒行为。此外，有几项研究探索了作为教师教学大纲政策产物的抗拒学生行为。为了建立在这条研究线的基础上，进行了一个 2 × 2 的实验，在教学大纲政策中操纵控制语言（低、高）和公平（公平、不公平）。为了提高外部有效性，政策所在的页面来自实际的交流课程。控制语言和公平对感知到的自由威胁、反应和遵守意图具有交互作用。具体而言，与政策不公平和/或使用高控制性语言相比，当政策公平并使用低控制性语言时，自由威胁和反应较低，遵守意愿更强。