Development of the Departmental Climate around Teaching (DCaT) survey: neither psychological collective climate nor departmental collective climate predicts STEM faculty’s instructional practices

Abstract

Background Investigations into drivers and barriers to the uptake of learner-centered instructional practices in STEM courses have identified the climate within a department as a potential influential factor. However, few studies have explored the relationship between adoption of learner-centered instructional practices and departmental climate around teaching. Moreover, surveys that have been designed to measure climate around teaching have been focused on measuring individual faculty member’s description of their colleagues’ perceptions of the climate within their department (psychological collective climate) and ignored whether there was a consensus among respondents within the same department on these descriptions. This latter measure (departmental collective climate) is best aligned with the definition of organizational climate. There is thus a need to explore whether departmental climate measured at the individual or collective level relate to the use of learner-centered instructional practices. Results This study demonstrates that the Departmental Climate around Teaching (DCaT) survey provides valid and reliable data that can be used to measure psychological collective climate within a STEM department. Analysis of the 166 faculty members who responded to the survey indicated that (1) four different types of psychological collective climate existed among our population and (2) multiple types could be present within the same STEM department. Moreover, it showed that measuring departmental collective climate is challenging as few constructs measured by the DCaT survey reached high level of consensus within faculty members from the same department. Finally, the analysis found no relationship between psychological collective climate and the level of use of learner-centered instructional practices. Conclusions Results from the validation studies conducted on the DCaT survey that most elements that define a climate (e.g., policies, practices, expectations) are lacking when it comes to teaching. These findings could explain the challenges experienced in this study in measuring departmental collective climate. Without these climate elements, faculty members are left to work autonomously with little expectations for growth in their instructional practices. Establishing policies, practices, and expectations with respect to teaching is thus an essential step toward instructional change at a departmental level.

Factors that influence STEM faculty use of evidence-based instructional practices: An ecological model

“…Based on these examples, it would be inappropriate to assume that all members of a department or even those faculty who teach the same course experience similar social contexts. In addition to the unique personal contexts that individuals bring to the table, including their attitudes, experiences, and self-efficacy, we should also consider the unique social contexts that influence their decision-making about EBIPs [ 37 , 50 ].…”

“…Given the significant role of student evaluations of teaching in tenure and promotion decisions, changing instructional practices and an associated lowering of evaluation scores can be a high risk proposition for faculty [ 27 , 35 , 36 ]. Interactions with colleagues may support or hinder use of EBIPs, however it has been difficult to establish shared consensus around teaching climate within departments [ 37 ]. Collaboration with colleagues and department change agents can support instructional change [ 14 , 36 , 38 ], but socialization within professional societies may prioritize research over teaching [ 39 ].…”

Measuring the Association of Departmental Climate around Teaching with Adoption of Evidence-Based Instructional Practices: A National Survey of Chemistry Faculty Members

“…34 Organizational climate is conceptually distinct from organizational culture, which the literature defines as "the shared basic assumptions, values, and beliefs that characterize a setting and are taught to newcomers as the proper way to think and feel..." 34 In the context of postsecondary education, organizational climate can be thought of as the shared perceptions of and meaning attached to teaching-related policies, practices, and procedures that are expected and supported within a department, where the department constitutes the organization. 25 Departmental climate around teaching is, thus, organizational climate in the context of postsecondary education. 25 Organizational climate in K-12 and industry settings is typically measured via a survey approach, in which researchers ask members of an organization to evaluate how other members perceive policies, practices, and procedures.…”

“…Departmental climate around teaching refers to the "perceptions of policies, practices, and expected behaviors related to teaching" within a department. 25 Departments are identified as a key level at which to aim instructional reform efforts; 26,27 understanding the role of departmental climate is, thus, essential for designing targeted reform efforts that increase uptake of EBIPs. In several studies, STEM faculty members identify departmental climate around teaching as a barrier to instructional change.…”

“…19,28 These findings lead to the assumption that departmental climate around teaching can either drive or hinder instructional change. 25 However, investigations of this relationship have only been preliminary, so its precise nature is unclear.…”