When an Instructor Swears in Class: Functions and Targets of Instructor Swearing from College Students’ Retrospective Accounts

Abstract

Via a communication competence lens, students' accounts of instructor swearing were inductively analyzed to understand students' perceptions of the swear word's function and target. Coding revealed seven functions of teacher swearing: emphasize=elaborate, accommodate students, be humorous, show frustration, gain attention, instructor personality=disposition, and accidental. Six targets of teacher swearing were also found: swearing directed toward course content, noncourse content, the self (instructor), students, course assignments, and job tools. Swearing directed at course content, swearing used to emphasize=elaborate, to gain attention, and to be humorous were perceived as more appropriate than other categories. Classroom implications and instructor recommendations are offered.

Swearing and perceptions of the speaker: A discursive approach

“…Responses to swearing have also been studied in the education setting. Generous et al (2015) examined students' retrospective accounts of instructor swearing in the classroom.…”

Breaking Bad in Business Education: Impacts on Student Incivility and Academic Dishonesty

“…Students may view instructors swearing to appear approachable as negatively violating their expectations of professional instructor behavior, including the social distance professors are expected to maintain with students. Generous, Frei, and Houser, (2015) have suggested students might view instructor swearing to accommodate students as belittling. They concluded that “teachers who swear for relational purposes should be careful” (Generous, Frei, & Houser, 2015, p. 137).…”

“…Generous, Frei, and Houser, (2015) have suggested students might view instructor swearing to accommodate students as belittling. They concluded that “teachers who swear for relational purposes should be careful” (Generous, Frei, & Houser, 2015, p. 137).…”

“…Unfortunately, these approaches may produce boomerang-like effects. For instance, swearing tends to be viewed as less appropriate in formal environments (e.g., classroom) or when used by authority figures (e.g., faculty members), and when students see it as an attempt at downward convergence, they view it as relatively inappropriate (Generous, Frei, & Houser, 2015). Students may view instructors swearing to appear approachable as negatively violating their expectations of professional instructor behavior, including the social distance professors are expected to maintain with students Generous, Frei, and Houser, (2015)…”

“… 1. Please consult the work done by Generous, Frei, & Houser (2015) for an exemplar of mixed methods in which quantitative data are coupled with qualitative, open response format data. …”