Author : Heather L. Busser
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9781109975529
Total Pages : 86 pages
Book Rating : 4.9/5 (755 download)
Book Synopsis Effect of Instructor Race on Student Predictions of Teaching Effectiveness by : Heather L. Busser
Download or read book Effect of Instructor Race on Student Predictions of Teaching Effectiveness written by Heather L. Busser and published by . This book was released on 2006 with total page 86 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: With the existence of racial discrimination and literature supporting differential treatment of faculty of color, there is the possibility that instructor race could influence student evaluations of teaching effectiveness. There is an abundance of literature discussing student evaluations of teaching effectiveness and possible variables that could introduce bias. Yet, little literature exists that examines how student evaluations of teaching effectiveness are affected by race. Thus, the purpose of the present study was to examine how the race of a female professor might influence student evaluations of teaching effectiveness. A total of 192 students enrolled in psychology graduate programs at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology participated in the study. Participants were given a vignette describing a female professor's clinical and teaching experience and interests. The vignettes were accompanied by a photograph of a white female professor or a photograph of an African American female professor. Participants were asked to complete an evaluation predicting the teaching effectiveness of the given professor. It was hypothesized that there would be a statistically significant difference between the teaching effectiveness ratings of the white professor and the African American professor, with the white professor receiving higher ratings than the African American professor. It was also hypothesized that there would be a statistically significant interaction effect between race of professor and participant race, with the white professor receiving higher ratings from white students and the African American professor receiving higher ratings from nonwhite students. Analyses of variance (ANOVA) were conducted at the .05 significance level to examine the study's hypotheses. The results of the ANOVAs were not significant, indicating that race did not influence how students rated the hypothetical professors. Possible explanations for the study's findings were examined. Three main factors were identified that may have had a significant impact on the results. These factors are selection bias, social desirability, and the application of the study design to real life evaluations. The role of subtle discrimination is also discussed in addition to future research directions.