Characteristics of effective teachers

Area of Science:

• Educational Psychology
• Higher Education Studies
• Academic Administration

Background:

• Effective teaching is crucial for student success and institutional quality.
• Understanding perceptions of teaching characteristics is vital for faculty development and evaluation.
• Previous research has not fully explored the nuanced views of diverse stakeholders in higher education.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate and compare perceptions of effective teaching characteristics among administrators, department chairpersons, faculty, and deaf college students.
• To identify discrepancies in how supervisors (administrators, chairpersons) and instructors view teaching effectiveness.
• To explore differences in perceptions between instructional faculty and deaf students regarding key teaching attributes.

Main Methods:

• Development and administration of rating and ranking instruments.
• Data collection from diverse academic stakeholders: administrators, department chairpersons, instructional faculty, and deaf college students.
• Comparative analysis of perception data across different stakeholder groups.

Main Results:

• Significant differences were identified in the perceptions of teaching characteristics between supervisors (administrators, chairpersons) and instructional faculty.
• Discrepancies were also observed between instructional faculty and deaf college students concerning the importance of specific teaching characteristics.
• These findings underscore varied perspectives on what constitutes effective teaching within the academic environment.

Conclusions:

• The identified perception gaps between supervisors and teachers necessitate ongoing communication and dialogue to align expectations.
• Differences in views between teachers and deaf students suggest a need for pedagogical discussions to bridge understanding.
• Further research is recommended to delve deeper into specific characteristics of effective teaching and their varied interpretations.