ERIC Number: EJ1074825
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2015-Aug
Pages: 13
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-1527-9316
EISSN: N/A
Professor Age and Gender Affect Student Perceptions and Grades
Joye, Shauna W.; Wilson, Janie H.
Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, v15 n4 p126-138 Aug 2015
Student evaluations provide rich information about teaching performance, but a number of factors beyond teacher effectiveness influence student evaluations. In this study we examined the effects of professor gender and perceived age on ratings of effectiveness and rapport as well as academic performance. We also asked students to rate professor attractiveness as a potential explanation for group differences. Participants (N = 308) saw a picture of either a young or old male or female professor while listening to an audio lecture. Students reported greater perceived rapport and attractiveness with the female relative to the male professors and for younger versus older professors. However, students reported the male professors as more effective than the female professors. An interaction revealed that among female professors only, younger women were rated as more attractive than comparison conditions. Thus, age and gender bias likely impact student evaluations of teaching. Our study also revealed higher quiz grades in the older-female condition.
Descriptors: Gender Differences, Student Attitudes, Age Differences, Teacher Effectiveness, Aesthetics, Comparative Analysis, Grades (Scholastic), Gender Bias, Social Bias, College Faculty, College Students, Racial Differences, Ethnic Groups, Likert Scales, Pictorial Stimuli, Statistical Analysis, Surveys, Multivariate Analysis
Indiana University. 755 West Michigan Street UL 1180D, Indianapolis, IN 46202. Tel: 317-274-5647; Fax: 317-278-2360; e-mail: josotl@iupui.edu; Web site: http://www.iupui.edu/~josotl
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