Students’ Perceptions of Professors in Nontraditional Teaching Roles

  • Brien K. Ashdown
  • Kristin L. Kiddo

Abstract

University students participated in 4 focus groups (Caucasian males, Caucasian females, ethnic minority males, and ethnic minority females). Participants were asked to discuss 3 classroom scenarios: (a) a White male teaching a race relations course, (b) a male teaching a women’s studies course, and (c) a young, childless female teaching a child psychology course. Most participants preferred an ethnic minority professor for the race relations course, a female professor for the women’s studies course, and showed a slight preference for a married female professor for the child psychology course. 

References

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Basow, S. A. (1998). Student evaluations: The role of gender bias and teaching styles. In L. H. Collins, J. C. Chrisler, & K. Quina (Eds.), Career strategies for women in academe: Arming Athena. (pp. 135-156). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

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Kierstead, D., D’Agostino, P., & Dill, H. (1989). Sex role stereotyping of college professors: Bias in students' ratings of instructors. Journal of Educational Psychology, 80, 342-344.

Strauss, A., & Corbin, J. (1998). Basics of qualitative research: Techniques and procedures for developing grounded theory (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Published
2008-05-10
Section
Articles