Abstract
Questionnaires were distributed to faculty and students in 56 graduate courses offered at a large, southern, state university to investigate the effect social power in the college classroom has on graduate students’ mood and morale. Social power was defined in terms of instructor’s manipulation of resources (e.g., expertise, authority, rewards) and students’ dependence. The instructor’s style of resource manipulation was significantly correlated with students’ mood and morale. The relationship between overall mood and instructor style varied by dependence when students’ motivational investment in education as a means to other ends and their perception of alternatives available without an advanced degree were considered jointly. Findings demonstrate the importance of social power for understanding classroom interaction.
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