ERIC Number: EJ1016391
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2013
Pages: 12
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1812-9129
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
More than Words: Probing the Terms Undergraduate Students Use to Describe Their Instructors
Kendall, K. Denise; Schussler, Elisabeth E.
International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, v25 n2 p200-212 2013
Undergraduates often use single words to describe their instructors, including "boring," "enthusiastic," and "organized," but what instructional behaviors cause students to use these words? This study utilized interviews and an online survey to ask students to translate commonly used instructor descriptions into their associated instructional behaviors. Explanations from undergraduates revealed that these behaviors include both the way instructors interact personally with students as well as how they convey the content to the class. The instructional behaviors identified through this process were classified into themes representing three different aspects of classroom interactions and placed into a schema depicting the positive instructional behaviors that students indicated led to respect for an instructor. The results will give instructors insight into how what they do in the classroom relates to student perception of their ability to foster learning.
Descriptors: College Faculty, Student Attitudes, Student Evaluation of Teacher Performance, Undergraduate Students, Teacher Behavior, Teacher Student Relationship, Teaching Assistants, Biology, Science Instruction, Student Surveys, Online Surveys, Interviews, Teacher Characteristics, Teacher Effectiveness, Instructional Effectiveness
International Society for Exploring Teaching and Learning. Web site: http://www.isetl.org/ijtlhe
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A