Examining the Effects of Student–Faculty Ethnic Similarity and Level of Group Representation on Teaching Evaluations

Abstract

This research explores if student and faculty ethnic similarity produces more favorable teaching evaluations, and if the effect is enhanced when ethnic group representation on campus is low. When student and faculty ethnicity was similar, (a) students from low-representation groups provided the highest evaluations, and (b) students from high-representation groups showed both “more favorable” and “less favorable” evaluations. Evidence suggests that the pattern of findings was strong for qualitatively oriented courses, with the results for quantitative classes less conclusive. Discussion focuses on potential influences to ethnic similarity effects, applications to real-world settings, and future research.