I Know My Professor: Teacher Self-Disclosure in Online Education and a Mediating Role of Social Presence

Abstract

Acknowledging the importance of teacher-student relationship for effective learning experiences, the present study examined the role of teacher self-disclosure and social presence in online education. An online survey was conducted from a sample of 262 undergraduate students with online class experiences. The findings suggest that students' perception toward teacher self-disclosure increased students' feeling of social presence about their teacher. Then, social presence in turn led to teacher-student relationship satisfaction, which ultimately increased perceived knowledge gain. Importantly, the association between teacher self-disclosure and teacher-student relationship satisfaction was mediated by social presence.