This article presents the Instructional Beliefs Model which forwards that teacher behaviors, student characteristics, and course-specific structural issues combine to influence students' instructional beliefs. Through these instructional beliefs, the first-order variables influence student learning outcomes. Three studies were conducted to investigate the validity of this model and to test this model against other dominant instructional communication models (specifically, the Affective Learning Model, the Motivation Model, and the Immediacy Model). Results from these studies provide support for the Instructional Beliefs Model as a theoretical framework for future research. (Contains 3 notes, 1 table, and 5 figures.)