Effects of anxiety, curiosity, and perceived instructor threat on student verbal behavior in the college classroom.

Investigated the verbal behavior of 152 undergraduates in 4 different classes. Trait anxiety, trait curiosity, and perceived instructor threat were measured by the State–Trait Anxiety Inventory, the State–Trait Curiosity Inventory, and the Tuckman Teacher Feedback Form. Student-initiated questions and responses to instructor questions were rated by trained observers during 8 1-hr class sessions. In general, males gave more responses than females, and Ss who perceived their instructors as threatening gave fewer responses than those who rated their instructors as nonthreatening. High curiosity stimulated student-initiated verbal behavior for both sexes, but only when the instructor was perceived as nonthreatening. For males, high anxiety inhibited the students' responses to instructor questions when the instructor was perceived as threatening, whereas females gave few responses to instructor questions regardless of their personality characteristics. (20 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Student/instructor attitude similarity, student ratings, and course performance.

Investigated the validity of student ratings of instructional effectiveness by exploring the relations among student ratings, course performance, and the perceived attitude similarity of students and their instructors. 349 college students enrolled in 22 classes first rated instructor effectiveness on a 28-item rating form and then rated their own attitudes plus instructor attitudes on an attitude scale adapted from D. Byrne (1971). Another 296 college students enrolled in 19 classes rated instructor effectiveness and then their own attitudes plus instructor attitudes on an attitude scale adapted from F. E. Hofman and L. Kremer (see record 1980-33352-001). For both S groups, official end-of-term grades were also collected. Consistent with prior research, modest correlations were found between student ratings and perceived attitude similarity. There was also a modest relation between similarity and course grades. These relations were greatly reduced (56.2 and 44.5%, respectively) when the large influence of instructors on ratings and achievement was removed. Findings fail to support the claim that perceived attitude similarity is a substantial source of bias in student ratings. (13 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Student evaluations of college instructors: Effects of type of course taught, instructor gender and gender role, and student gender.

The college curriculum is often separated into divisions or course types (e.g., natural science, the arts) that may be perceived to differ in the extent to which they use expressive feminine attributes (e.g., affectionate, sensitive) and instrumental masculine attributes (e.g., assertive, forceful). In Experiment 1, the effects of course type, student gender, and instructor gender and gender role on student evaluations of instructor effectiveness were examined. In Exp 2, students' perceptions of the importance of various gender role characteristics in instructors of different course types were explored. Results suggest that instructor gender role is more important than instructor gender in affecting student evaluations. Both female and male students preferred instructors (science instructors, in particular) who possessed both feminine and masculine characteristics, regardless of the gender of the instructor. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A trickle-down model of organizational justice: Relating employees' and customers' perceptions of and reactions to fairness.

This study developed and tested a trickle-down model of organizational justice that hypothesized that employees' perceptions of fairness should affect their attitudes toward the organization, subsequently influencing their behaviors toward customers. In turn, customers should interpret these behaviors as signals of fair treatment, causing them to react positively to both the employee and the organization. The model was tested on a sample of 187 instructors and their students. The results revealed that instructors who perceived high distributive and procedural justice reported higher organizational commitment. In turn, their students reported higher levels of instructor effort, prosocial behaviors, and fairness, as well as more positive reactions to the instructor. Overall, the results imply that fair treatment of employees has important organizational consequences because of customers' attitudes and future intentions toward key service employees. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Student perceptions of and expectations for male and female instructors: Evidence relating to the question of gender bias in teaching evaluation.

253 undergraduates completed a course evaluation questionnaire that included formal teaching performance ratings, perceptual orientation scales, and indicators of degree and context of student–instructor contact. Ss represented 11 female-instructed courses and 28 male-instructed courses. Male and female instructors were found to be placed within a unitary perceptual frame of reference. Female instructors were perceived as warmer and more potent individuals, but were required by the Ss to offer greater interpersonal support and were judged more closely than male instructors in providing it. Results suggest that although direct gender bias may not be observed in formal student evaluations of their instructors, female faculty members are nonetheless subject to culturally conditioned gender stereotypes. (22 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Pygmalion goes to boot camp: Expectancy, leadership, and trainee performance.

Tested the applicability of the Pygmalion effect to adult military trainees and examined the effects of expectancy on instructor leadership. 105 male Ss were matched on aptitude and randomly assigned to high, regular, and unspecified instructor-expectancy conditions. The Pygmalion hypothesis was confirmed. Ss with instructors who had been induced to expect better performance scored significantly higher on objective achievement tests, exhibited more positive attitudes, and perceived more positive leadership behavior. Instructor expectancy explained 73% of the variance in performance, 66% in attitudes, and 28% in leadership. The causal interplay between expectancy, leadership, and performance, and the notion of applying the Pygmalion effect by deliberately raising supervisors' expectations through "expectancy training" are discussed. (20 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Attitudes toward instructors, social desirability, and behavioral intentions.

Examined whether student attitude toward instructors was related to subsequent behavior, such as the behavioral intention to take further courses with that instructor, and whether social desirability affected this relationship. 158 undergraduates completed instructor ratings, and a short form of the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale. Principal components analysis and varimax rotation isolated 6 instructor rating factors. Ss also participated in a mock preregistration procedure assessing their intention to reregister for the same or different instructors. Results indicate that the 1st instructor rating factor, Instructor Skill, correlated .72 with intention to take further courses with that instructor. No other relationships or interactions were significant. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Perceived differences in task competence and asymmetry of dyadic influence.

A "task, in which perceptions of differential task competence were induced, was followed by the… task of judging the magnitudes of 100 stimuli… . [The] induction of perceptions of differential prior task competence failed to produce a significant degree of asymmetry of influence during the subsequent task… . [A] second experiment was designed and conducted. The prior task was replaced by one of greater similarity to the subsequent task, and instructions were rewritten in order to emphasize this similarity… . [This] yielded a highly significant degree of asymmetry of influence. It is concluded that perceived task competence is an important determinant of the amount and direction of social influence, but that its effectiveness depends… on perceived task similarity." From Psyc Abstracts 36:04:4GE05C. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sex role stereotyping of college professors: Bias in students' ratings of instructors.

We investigated the impact of three variables on students' ratings of instruction (SRIs): social contact between instructor and students (present vs. absent), the instructor's facial expression (smiling vs. neutral), and the instructor's sex. Subjects were presented with hypothetical scenarios in which these factors varied while behaviors directly related to teaching were held constant. Results revealed an interaction between instructor sex and both of the other two factors: Behaviors indicative of friendliness toward students elevated SRIs for female instructors but not for male instructors. In addition, subjects rated the male professors as more effective than female professors. These findings are consistent with other reports that students expect female instructors to excel in both stereotypically masculine (e.g., competence) and feminine (e.g., warmth) domains. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

An experimental test of the effects of "developmental" vs. "free" discussions on the quality of group decisions.

A "developmental" and a "free" type of discussion leadership were compared with respect to the degree to which they influence the quality and unanimity of group decisions. Small groups of students were asked to make a decision involving the wisdom of promoting a particular employee to a new job. The "high quality" decision was reached about twice as frequently in the "developmental" discussion groups as in the "free" discussion groups, but no significant difference was obtained with respect to group unanimity. The writers believe that these "findings apply only to problems in which emotional involvement is not an important aspect of the problem… with other types of problems the 'free' type of discussion may be more effective… ." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A training framework and follow-up observations for multiculturally inclusive teaching: Is believing that we are emphasizing diversity enough?

The authors present a theoretically and empirically grounded training for multiculturally inclusive teaching for new instructors. After implementing this training, qualitative data were gathered from instructors to identify their experience of the training and concerns related to incorporating issues of diversity into their classrooms (Study 1). At the end of the semester immediately following the training, quantitative data were gathered from instructors and their students to examine the interaction between students’ and instructors’ perceived diversity emphasis (Study 2). When allowed to choose the extent to which they incorporated issues of diversity in their classes, the instructors differentially reported emphasizing diversity in class. In addition, results from multilevel linear modeling analyses demonstrated that instructors’ reported emphasis on diversity in the classroom did not predict students’ perceptions of the inclusion of issues of diversity. The authors discuss implications for the development of multiculturally supportive programs of learning at universities. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Teaching psychology by telephone.

2 groups of 10—matched for education, intelligence, and sex—participated. A special 8-weeks course in elementary psychology was presented. 1 of the 2 groups had face-to-face class meetings; the other group was taught by telephone. For the latter group: "In each home, an Executone speaker-microphone had been installed permitting everyone in the class to talk to everyone else as soon as the instructor turned on the switch… . Some lessons were straight lecture; others were conducted by discussion. Role playing was used twice." Both groups showed significant gains in knowledge as measured by examination. Both groups changed significantly in direction of more democratic attitudes as measured by the California F Scale. The "authors are now convinced that teaching by telephone is practical… . Telephone teaching might also be useful in areas of highly specialized instruction at the graduate level or in business or industry." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Influence and leadership as a function of group structure.

"In a group decision situation, influence and perceived leadership were studied as a function of an individual's position in the communication network of his group. The hypotheses were advanced that, regardless of the network he is in, a group member (a) will be influenced less as his group reaches a decision, and (b) will be perceived as the group leader more often when his position in the communication network is more central… . On an overall basis, both hypotheses were confirmed… . The hypothesis concerning influence was tenable only in the case of one kind of network." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The role of closed-circuit television in university resident instruction.

"It is now obvious that we can link any number of classrooms together, put one or more TV receivers in each, and let one good professor lecture over the television system to multiple groups of students." Experiments "… or demonstrations could be performed and televised… ." Initial cost, installation and maintenance, operation, flexibility and pictures are discussed. "… TV exists as an aid to, and not a replacement for, the instructor… ." Faculties should "… begin now to coolly appraise TV for its strengths and its weaknesses, and to determine in what ways and under what conditions TV can make a contribution to resident university instruction." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Incidents of bias in college classrooms: Instructor and student perceptions.

Little is known about incidents of bias specific to college classrooms or how they are handled by instructors. To learn more about this subject, professors, graduate instructors, and undergraduates (N = 2,523) completed surveys assessing perceptions of classroom bias. Results indicated that about a quarter of instructors and half of students perceived an incident of bias in a classroom in the last year. Instructors’ responses to bias commonly included forms of direct confrontation, discussion, and ignoring. Undergraduates perceived significantly more bias than did instructors and rated responses to bias as significantly less effective than did instructors. Undergraduates also reported that instructors were occasionally the perpetrators of bias. These results indicate that preparation of instructors should include increased awareness of bias and methods of handling classroom bias. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Perceived control in the college classroom: Response–outcome contingency training and instructor expressiveness effects on student achievement and causal attributions.

Following an incentive (low, high) manipulation, 296 college students received response–outcome contingency training involving contingent, noncontingent, or no feedback and responded to an attribution questionnaire. All Ss then observed a lecture presented by a low- or high-expressive instructor and completed a postlecture achievement test and an attribution questionnaire. Results show that noncontingent Ss perceived less control and also manifested a helplessness attribution profile after the contingency manipulation. Postlecture results indicate that the high- compared to the low-expressive instructor increased achievement and internal locus in contingent but not noncontingent Ss for low-incentive conditions only. (34 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effect of teacher sex, student sex, and teacher warmth on the evaluation of college instructors.

Examined the influence of teacher sex, student sex, and teacher warmth as perceived by students and teachers on teacher evaluation. Male and female instructors in the same department were matched on the level of course taught. 22 pairs of courses evaluated by 838 college students were obtained. Twenty Instructional Improvement Questionnaire items that directly evaluate instructor performance were analyzed using a 3-factor analysis of variance and the .0025 level of significance. No interactions between faculty sex, student sex, and teacher warmth were found. When Ss rated their instructor's interest and warmth, teachers who were warmer and primarily interested in students received higher ratings in teaching effectiveness. When teachers rated themselves on warmth and interest, self-ratings interacted with faculty sex. Generally, female teachers received higher effectiveness ratings than did male teachers when they considered themselves low in warmth or interested in course content. Male teachers who rated themselves high in warmth or primarily interested in students received higher ratings than did male teachers who rated themselves low in warmth or primarily interested in course content, respectively. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

On translating beliefs into action: Theories of ability and their application in an instructional setting.

90 male undergraduates acted as an instructor or as 1 of 2 pupils in experimental sessions during which the instructors taught a card trick. Beforehand, instructors learned either that ability is produced through such extrinsic factors as thorough instruction (extrinsic theory), or that ability emerges from the natural development of pupils' intrinsic capabilities (intrinsic theory). Instructors were also told that one pupil possessed high ability (high ability label) and the other possessed low ability (low ability label). Pupils whose instructors operated with the extrinsic theory behaviorally confirmed their instructors' initial beliefs: Pupils labeled as having high ability outperformed those labeled as having low ability. Yet pupils whose instructors operated with the intrinsic theory behaviorally disconfirmed their initial beliefs: Pupils labeled as having low ability outperformed those labeled as having high ability. Regardless of pupils' actual performance, instructors always asserted that pupils labeled as having high ability outperformed those labeled as having low ability. Pupils labeled as having high ability asserted that instructors had more confidence in their ability than pupils labeled as having low ability. (30 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effective instruction and students' perceptions of control in the college classroom: Multiple-lectures effects.

Recent research indicates that instructor expressivenes is an effective teaching behavior for college students who perceive that they have control over their academic achievement. However, the achievement-enhancing effect of a high-expressive instructor is impeded when students experience temporary loss of control. We tested the persistence of this effect by giving students either contingent or noncontingent feedback on an aptitude test and then having them observe two lectures 1 week apart in which the expressiveness of the instructors varied. Lecture 1 results replicated previous findings in that the high-expressive instructor was effective for contingent students only. This pattern did not persist in Lecture 2, however, which suggests that effective instruction and reactance may counteract the negative consequences of loss of control. The remedial benefits of instructor expressiveness were considered for students lacking control in the college classroom. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)