Student Evaluations of Teaching: Impact of Faculty Race, Ethnicity, and Accent

Student evaluations of teaching (SETs) are often biased, particularly with regard to differences in race, ethnicity, and accent. This study examines how unconscious biases in SETs impact teaching evaluations.

This study employed a mixed-methods approach, combining qualitative thematic and critical discourse analysis with quantitative statistical analysis. Student evaluations of teaching from medical learners were analyzed for biases related to race/ethnicity and accent. Iterative coding was used to identify themes, ensuring inter-rater reliability. Quantitative data were analyzed with chi-squared and t -tests to assess differences in instructor ratings based on faculty characteristics.

An analysis of 26,659 student comments from 852 health professions courses revealed that faculty with racial, ethnic, and accent differences received more critical feedback compared with their White, General American accented counterparts. While positive attributes like enthusiasm and clear communication were noted for both groups, faculty with accents or non-White were less likely to receive praise and more likely to face negative feedback. No grossly discriminatory comments were found in the dataset.

This study highlights the pervasive bias in SETs, where faculty with accents or who are non-White receive more negative feedback and fewer positive comments than their White, native-accented counterparts. Disparities in qualitative evaluations contribute to additional stress and inequity for marginalized faculty. Given the emotional toll and potential impact on career advancement, SETs should be critically reconsidered, with feedback triangulated alongside other objective measures to ensure fairer evaluations of teaching effectiveness.