Practice to Research: Rapport as Key to Creating an Effective Learning Environment

Abstract

Rapport is an instructional variable that is “tricky to understand,” which is perhaps the reason why it is understudied in the extant literature. Certainly, essays, tip lists, and effective teaching mantras often claim rapport as vital to the instructional context, but that is typically the extent of most examinations, particularly in management education. In this practice-to-research article, my experiences are integrated with the limited published evidence surrounding rapport, and research propositions are offered to inform future business education studies.