Predicting Student Satisfaction: The Role of Academic Entitlement and Nonverbal Immediacy

This study examined the effect of student academic entitlement (AE) on student satisfaction. A mediation model was proposed in which AE affects student observation of instructor nonverbal immediacy (NVI), which affects instructor credibility, which in turn affects student satisfaction. Participants were 483 undergraduate students who completed an online survey. Structural equation modeling was used to test the hypothesized model and results indicated that: (1) one subfactor of AE (i.e., demanding attitudes) had significant negative effects on student satisfaction indirectly, and such effects were mediated through instructor NVI and credibility; (2) NVI had a significant positive influence on instructor credibility, which affected student satisfaction; and (3) neither AE nor NVI directly affected student satisfaction. Finding implications and future research directions are discussed.