This study examined the classroom participation behaviors of undergraduate students. Much of the existing literature had focused on student variables in determining participation in the classroom. Here, instructor variables were investigated. Students completed questionnaires and reported their own perceptions of their participation in class and of their instructor's nonverbal immediacy and verbal aggression. Results indicated that students who perceived their teachers as higher in immediacy were more likely to participate in class, and students who perceived their instructors as verbally aggressive were less likely to participate in class. Limitations, implications for the classroom, and future directions for this line of research are discussed.