Fear in the Classroom: An Examination of Teachers’ Use of Fear Appeals and Students’ Learning Outcomes Rose Sprinkle, Stephen Hunt, Cheri Simonds & Mark Comadena This study examined the impact of teachers’ use of fear appeals and efficacy statements on student affective learning, motivation, likelihood of taking a course with the instructor, and likelihood of visiting with the instructor for help. The results suggest that fear and efficacy interact to more positively influence students’ perceptions of these variables compared to the use of fear alone. Pedagogical implications as well as suggestions for future research are discussed. Keywords: Fear Appeals; Behavior Alteration Techniques; Persuasion; Extended Parallel Process Model Over the last 20 years, a number of studies have examined the techniques teachers use to gain compliance from students. In one significant line of research, scholars developed a typology of compliance-gaining strategies known as behavior-alteration techniques (BATs) (Kearney & Plax, 1987; Kearney, Plax, Richmond, & McCroskey, 1984; Richmond, 1990; Richmond & McCroskey, 1984; Richmond & Roach, 1992). Extant research demonstrates that a negative relationship exists between antisocial BATs and important learning outcomes such as student motivation and affective learning (Richmond, 1990; Richmond & McCroskey, 1984; Richmond & Roach, 1992). However, a paucity of research exists regarding teachers’ use of fear appeals, which are considered to be an antisocial technique. In particular, researchers have not examined the use of antisocial (e.g., fear appeals) and prosocial (e.g., efficacy Rose Sprinkle (MS, Illinois State University, 2004) is a Press Assistant for U.S. Senator Barack Obama in Chicago, IL. Stephen Hunt (PhD, Southern Illinois University, 1998) and Cheri Simonds (PhD, University of Oklahoma, 1995) are Associate Professors in the School of Communication at Illinois State University. Mark Comadena (PhD, Purdue University, 1981) is a Professor in the School of Communication at Illinois State University. A previous version of this paper was presented at the 2005 meeting of the Central States Communication Association in Kansas City, MO. Rose Sprinkle can be contacted at rsprink@hotmail.com ISSN 0363-4523 (print)/ISSN 1479-5795 (online) # 2006 National Communication Association DOI: 10.1080/03634520600879170 Communication Education Vol. 55, No. 4, October 2006, pp. 389  402