Dataset - Professor or First Name? How Forms of Address Impact Students’Psychological Safety and Learning Engagemen

How instructors communicate in early classroom interactions can meaningfully shape students’ engagement and psychological outcomes, yet limited research has examined the linguistic cues conveyed in the formative stages of classroom interaction. This study explores how the form of address (FoA), when initiated by the professor, whether formal (e.g., “Professor”) or informal (e.g., using a first name), influences students’ psychological safety and engagement in higher education settings. The research examines whether these effects are driven by students’ perceptions of lecturers' warmth and competence, and whether social expectations (injunctive norms) shape these relationships. In a pilot survey (N = 60) and an experimental study (N = 269), informal FoA has been shown to improve students' perceptions of warmth, which in turn has fostered greater psychological safety and participation. These effects were stronger when students perceived low injunctive norms to use formal titles.In contrast, perceptions of competence did not mediate the effects of FoA overall, but became a significant predictor of engagement when injunctive norms were perceived as strong. This study also offers practical insights for fostering supportive and inclusive learning environments through simple choices in how instructors invite students to address them.