Gender & the Evaluation of Teaching

Joey SpragueDepartment of Sociology

University of Kansas

Reasons to Evaluate Teaching

• Skill development

• Personnel decisions

Administrators rely on Student Ratings

% of Deans “always use”

1978 54.8

1988 80.3

1997 88.1

in 1997 always use

Classroom visits 40.3

Syllabi, exams 38.6

Quantitative Measures

Assume a constant metric

Assume a constant referent

But standards are gendered

Research on Social Cognition:

• Interaction requires shared frames

• We frame instantly

• Primary: sex, race & age

• Frames evoke stereotypes

• Stereotypes influence us without our knowing

In any social institution

• Frames for people

• Frames for roles

• Institutional frames are often gendered

• Gender is “in the background”

Gender& Race

Expectations

Evidence Neededto Demonstrate an Attribute

Things That Encourage Stereotyping

• Salience

• Time pressure

• Weak accountability

Gender Shapes Evaluation

• Who has influence• Who is smart• Who is likable

• How work is counted

Do Students See through Gender?

SOME RESEARCH

Professor = Masculine (Burns-Glover & Veith 1995)

Scenario: Important in a job candidate?

Sam, Sarah, Dr. Lawson

More masculine characteristics

Sam: expert, own opinion, challenging

Sarah: available, flexible, caring

Dr. Lawson = Sam

Open-ended Q’s Reveal More Bias (Bachen, McLoughlin, & Garcia 1999

Ratings on attributes

◦ M: no gender difference◦ W: Women higher on caring, interactive

Open ended question

◦ 50% of M & 62% of W: yes◦ Women compared to a male standard◦ W: hold all teachers accountable for caring◦ M: only women teachers accountable for caring

Grades Matter (Sinclair and Kunda 2000)

Survey: last semester’s teachers, courses, grades

grades evaluationswomen punished most

Experiment: evaluate the evaluator feedback evaluations

women punished most

How students recall teachersSprague & Massoni 2005

• Describe best and worst-ever teachers

• Data: Categories of Perception– Words– …. Synonym clusters– ……………..Dimensions

BEST-EVER TEACHERS

Men Women % Women

N of Teachers 135 153 53

N of Words 500 562 53

Men   WomenCluster f   Cluster f

FUNNY/FUN

funny 22 funny 5humorous 6 humorous 1witty 3 fun loving 1entertaining 3 entertaining 1sarcastic 2

great sense of humor 1fun luvin 1hilarious 1

fun 9 fun 19enjoyable 1

made learning fun 1

MenWomen

NURTURING

loving 1 loving 3 giving 2

Sharing 1 personal 1 student oriented 1

personal 1 sharing 1 always there for you 1

selfless 1

encouraging 8 encouraging 7

patient 5 patient 9 compassionate 4

supportive 1 nurturing 2 sympathetic 3

assuring 1 supportive 3 empathetic 1

complimentary 1 empathic 1

believing in me 1

look out for my best 1

BEST TEACHER: Dimensions of Evaluation

GENDER-COMPARABLEGENDER-

LOADEDIntelligentFunny/Fun

ClearNurturing

Hard Worker

NonauthoritarianChallenging

InteractiveCommitted

EnergeticStrict

UnderstandingFair

EngagingOpen-Minded

AttractiveRespectful

EasyApproachableCaringPersonableGood PersonPositiveInterestedHonestAvailableAggressive

Gender Comparable Gender-Loaded

Intelligent Funny/Fun

Clear Nurturing

Hard Worker Nonauthoritarian

Challenging Interactive

Committed Energetic

Strict Understanding

Fair Engaging

Open-Minded Attractive

Respectful Easy

Approachable

Caring

Personable

Good Person

Positive

Interested

Honest

Available

Aggressive

Dimensions for Evaluating

Best Ever Teacher

Men Women % Women

N of Teachers 141 147 51

N of Words 514 529 51

WORST-EVER TEACHER

Men   Women  

angry 4 angry 6

grouchy 1 temper 2

bad temper 1

temperamental 1

ill-tempered 1irritable 1cranky 1snappy 1

loud 2 loud 4

obnoxious 2 smart ass 1

smart alec 1

sarcastic 1

loud mouth 1juvenile 1

RUDE - I

Men   Women  

rude 28 rude 17

disrespectful 3 inconsiderate 3

inconsiderate 4 disrespectful 2

not respecting of students 1thoughtless 1insolent 1insulting 1

lack of respect 1

hypocritical 2 hypocritical 2

insincere 2 manipulative 2dishonest 1 phony 1

manipulative 1 fake 1insincere 1deceiving 1

RUDE - II

Men   Women  

mean 14 mean 23

malevolent 1 harsh 1

wants to give bad grades 1 sarcastically mean 1

nasty attitude 1 ridiculed students 1

harsh 1 ill-willed 1

only interest punish students 1

nasty 1

out to fail 1

vindictive 1

threatening 1

inimical 1

MEAN - I

Men   Women  

bitch 3bitchy 1

bitch towards male students 1witch 1feminazi 1

cruel 2 cruel 1abusive 1hateful 1

aggressive 2 aggressive 1

overly aggressive 1

argumentative 1

overbearing 1

provocative 1

MEAN - II

GENDER-COMPARABLE GENDER-LOADED

Ignorant Rude

Confusing Mean

Demanding Psychotic

Easy Cold

Boring Negative

Lazy Too Intelligent

Rigid Unfair

Weak Disengaged

Uncaring Arrogant

Unhelpful

Intimidating

Unconfident

Ugly

Refs to Age

Uncool

DimensionsOf Evaluation:

Worst-Ever Teacher

What dimensions are students using most often?

Man Woman

DIMENSION f %   DIMENSION f %

caring 77 15   caring 112 20

intelligent 57 11 intelligent 55 9.8

funny/fun 50 10 energetic 51 9

energetic 45 9 nurturing 43 7.6

understanding 33 6.6 understanding 34 6

personable 29 5.8 engaging 29 5.1

engaging 28 5.6 :

: funny/fun 27 4.8

nurturing 18 3.6 :

: fair 25 4.4

fair 15 3 personable 24 4.3

: :

easy* 2 0.4   attractive* 3 0.5

BESTTEACHER

Man Woman

DIMENSION f %   DIMENSION f %

boring 81 15.8   uncaring 72 13.6

uncaring 70 13.6 boring 63 11.9

rude 54 10.5 rigid 54 10.2

self-centered 50 9.7 rude 53 10

confusing 41 8 mean 49 9.3rigid 40 7.8 unfair 44 8.3

unfair 29 5.6 confusing 38 7.2

disengaged 27 5.3self-centered 25 4.7

: cold 17 3.2mean 22 4.3 :

: disengaged 14 2.6cold 5 1 :

psychotic* 6 1.1

WORST TEACHER

Could men and women just be different kinds of teachers?

Best Worst

DIMENSION f % DIMENSION f %

caring 77 15.3 boring 81 15.8

intelligent 57 11.4 uncaring 70 13.6

funny 50 10 rude 54 10.5

energetic 45 9 self-centered 50 9.7

understanding 33 6.6 confusing 41 8

personable 29 5.8 rigid 40 7.8

engaging 28 5.6 unfair 29 5.6

: disengaged 27 5.3

nurturing 18 3.6 :: mean 22 4.3fair 15 3 :: cold 5 1

easy* 2 0.4

TEACHER IS A

MAN

Best Worst

DIMENSION f %   DIMENSION f %

caring 112 19.9   uncaring 72 13.6

intelligent 55 9.8 boring 63 11.9

energetic 51 9 rigid 54 10.2

nurturing 43 7.6 rude 53 10

understanding 34 6 mean 49 9.3

engaging 29 5.1 unfair 44 8.3

: confusing 38 7.2

fun 27 4.8 self-centered 25 4.7

: cold 17 3.2fair 25 4.4 :

personable 24 4.3 disengaged 14 2.6: :

attractive* 3 0.5 psychotic* 6 1.1

TEACHERIS A

WOMAN

Bottom line

• Students use gendered frames

• Standards for women more labor-intensive

• A 3 is not always a 3

“Doing Gender”

We know we will be held accountable

Perform accordingly

Face consequences

“Women comprise 58 percent of the nation’s 13 million college undergraduates and, in 2002, earned more doctorates than men. They’re a dominant force on campuses—until they receive a degree.” Giegerich 2004

Do we want to be evaluating teaching

Or the performance of gender?

What Can Teachers Do?

• Communicate Competence

• Communicate Commitment to the Group

• Give enough time for evaluation

• Teach students how to evaluate us

What can Evaluators Do?

• Increase Reliability

• Be more sophisticated statistically

• Increase Validity

Increase the reliability

• Ask what students are competent to answer • Be concrete • Make Standards explicit • Minimize Salience of Gender • Minimize Time Pressure • Use multiple measures of teaching

effectiveness

Please rate• Your satisfaction with the instruction in this

class• The instructor as a teacher• The ability of the instructor to communicate

effectively• The quality of this course• The fairness of procedures for grading this

course• Your understanding of the course content

Improve the analysis

• Use medians not means• Analyze variance • Do multivariate analyses

– gender – Race– expected grade– required

Increase the Validity

GOALS

• Content is current

• Using best practices

• Students are learning• Teacher is developing

skills

INDICATORS

• Syllabus readings, topics

• Exercises, assignments, labs, interaction with students

• Student work

• Reflective essays, training

We’re all after the same things:

• students learn• faculty are treated fairly• no wasted effort

Thanks for listening!