ERIC Number: EJ965401
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2012
Pages: 9
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-8756-7555
EISSN: N/A
Understanding and Reducing Faculty Reluctance to Improve Teaching
McCrickerd, Jennifer
College Teaching, v60 n2 p56-64 2012
Many believe college instructors resist new teaching practices. In this article, the author develops a hypothesis to understand resistant faculty members, focusing on their likely educational experiences and on insights from psychology. Using Dweck's conception of self-theories and Fischer's conception of dynamic skill-theory, she defends the hypothesis that those who view teaching ability as a talent will not alter practice for fear of reaching the limit of their talent. In response, institutions should encourage risk taking and discourage the psychologically easier path of not changing. This can be done with institutional structures that support each individual--support that does not depend on the individual's continual success and embraces failures that are the result of considered risk taking.
Descriptors: College Faculty, Teaching Methods, Resistance to Change, Educational Experience, Self Concept, Faculty College Relationship, Teacher Behavior, Faculty Development, College Instruction, Comparative Analysis, Research, Change Strategies, Rewards, Instructional Improvement, Teacher Improvement, College Environment, School Culture, Teacher Motivation
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 325 Chestnut Street Suite 800, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Fax: 215-625-2940; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A