What do I say? Investigating students’ sensitive disclosures from the instructor’s perspective
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This study examined students’ self-disclosure of sensitive topics to their instructors and the instructors’ respective responses. Using communication privacy management (CPM; Petronio, 2002) as a framework, the researchers explored (1) the nature and type of sensitive disclosures shared by students in the classroom context, (2) the instructor’s appropriate or non-appropriate responses to the disclosure, (3) the instructor-student communicative interaction during student self-disclosure of sensitive subject matter, and (4) the practical implications regarding classroom best practices following sensitive student disclosures. Following the distribution of an open-ended questionnaire to instructors (N = 39), the researchers engaged in a process of open and axial coding and identified key themes and concepts from the data. Students engaged in conversations about sensitive information with their instructors (e.g., sexually-related disclosures (n = 12), mental health (n = 7), and personal or family members’ drug and alcohol abuse (n = 4). Additionally, instructors’ responses to these disclosures ultimately shaped their future interactions with students. These findings, as well as practical implications, are discussed in detail.