Ethnicity and Gender: An Examination of Its Impact on Instructor Credibility in the University Classroom

The Impact of Instructional Technology Use, Course Design, and Sex Differences on Students’ Initial Perceptions of Instructor Credibility

“…Perhaps a more pertinent limitation of this study is the ethnic homogeneity of the sample, given that 91% of the students in this study were white. Despite initial evidence to suggest that ethnicity may have little to do with perceptions of instructor credibility (e.g., Patton, 1999), researchers have not fully addressed whether or not conceptions of instructor credibility are different within and across different ethnic groups. Consequently, future researchers could address this limitation by employing a similar research design with a much more diverse sample.…”

Maintaining Credibility and Authority as an Instructor of Color in Diversity-Education Classrooms: A Qualitative Inquiry

“…Surely classroom resistance can be experienced by any and all instructors, and all instructors may potentially struggle with multiple dimensions of classroom management and interaction (Hendrix, 1998;Patton, 1999). Past research concludes that instructors of color's classroom experiences are both inextricably and negatively linked to their outsider status within PWCUs (Butler, 2000;Housee, 2001;Vargas, 1999).…”

The Relationship of Ethnicity and Sex to Professor Credibility at a Culturally Diverse University An earlier version of this manuscript was presented to the Instructional/Development Communication Division at the International Communication Association annual convention, New Orleans, May 2004

“…A number of studies examined whether teacher sex (Anderson & Miller, 1997;Centra & Gaubatz, 2000;Cooper, Stewart, & Gudykunst, 1982;Feldman, 1992Feldman, , 1993Hargett, 1999) or ethnicity (Hendrix, 1997;Patton, 1999;Rubin, 1998) affects student evaluations. Scholars have argued that cultural stereotypes such as those associated with gender and ethnicity often impact perceptions outside the home, such as in the workplace or classroom (Alexander-Snow, 2004;Pratto & Espinoza, 2001).…”

“…Other research, however, reports a different pattern. Patton (1999) found that students rated African American instructors, male and female, as more credible than Caucasian instructors.…”

“…For example, in their studies of ethnicity and sex, Hendrix (1997) and Patton (1999) sampled predominately Caucasian student populations. The influence of professor ethnicity and sex on teacher credibility is largely unknown for those student populations where Caucasian students do not constitute the majority.…”