Warm versus cold syllabus language

Scholars have asserted the importance of syllabi language and tone for college students according to particular learning outcomes (Bain, 2004; Richmond et al., 2016; Sulik & Keys, 2014). Researchers in this quantitative study explored the impact of syllabus tone on master-level counseling students (N = 124). Findings indicate statistically significant differences between students’ reactions to syllabi language, with greater student retention of the content within the warm syllabus condition and more favorable perceptions of the instructor and their grading practices. Implications for graduate-level instructors were identified as a result of this study. Use "syllabustudy" to access the data set.