Abstract
It is not uncommon for students to complain that faculty are unapproachable, while faculty complain that students are not engaged. Such perceptions, especially when formed at the start of a semester, can impact what students learn and how instructors teach; therefore, it is critical that these perceptions are prevented if a course is to be successful. A good starting point is the syllabus, which not only informs students about a course and its requirements, but creates a first impression about the instructor and his or her attitudes toward teaching. We conducted an experiment in which the course syllabus was manipulated to reflect a friendly or an unfriendly tone so that we could explore the perceptions students formed of the instructor and class. Results supported the hypothesis that a syllabus written in a friendly, rather than unfriendly, tone evoked perceptions of the instructor being more warm, more approachable, and more motivated to teach the course.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 319-330 |
| Number of pages | 12 |
| Journal | Social Psychology of Education |
| Volume | 14 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Sep 1 2011 |
Fingerprint
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Social Psychology
- Developmental and Educational Psychology
- Sociology and Political Science
Cite this
}
Effect of syllabus tone : Students' perceptions of instructor and course. / Harnish, Richard J.; Bridges, Kenneth Robert.
In: Social Psychology of Education, Vol. 14, No. 3, 01.09.2011, p. 319-330.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
TY - JOUR
T1 - Effect of syllabus tone
T2 - Students' perceptions of instructor and course
AU - Harnish, Richard J.
AU - Bridges, Kenneth Robert
PY - 2011/9/1
Y1 - 2011/9/1
N2 - It is not uncommon for students to complain that faculty are unapproachable, while faculty complain that students are not engaged. Such perceptions, especially when formed at the start of a semester, can impact what students learn and how instructors teach; therefore, it is critical that these perceptions are prevented if a course is to be successful. A good starting point is the syllabus, which not only informs students about a course and its requirements, but creates a first impression about the instructor and his or her attitudes toward teaching. We conducted an experiment in which the course syllabus was manipulated to reflect a friendly or an unfriendly tone so that we could explore the perceptions students formed of the instructor and class. Results supported the hypothesis that a syllabus written in a friendly, rather than unfriendly, tone evoked perceptions of the instructor being more warm, more approachable, and more motivated to teach the course.
AB - It is not uncommon for students to complain that faculty are unapproachable, while faculty complain that students are not engaged. Such perceptions, especially when formed at the start of a semester, can impact what students learn and how instructors teach; therefore, it is critical that these perceptions are prevented if a course is to be successful. A good starting point is the syllabus, which not only informs students about a course and its requirements, but creates a first impression about the instructor and his or her attitudes toward teaching. We conducted an experiment in which the course syllabus was manipulated to reflect a friendly or an unfriendly tone so that we could explore the perceptions students formed of the instructor and class. Results supported the hypothesis that a syllabus written in a friendly, rather than unfriendly, tone evoked perceptions of the instructor being more warm, more approachable, and more motivated to teach the course.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=80052478700&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=80052478700&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s11218-011-9152-4
DO - 10.1007/s11218-011-9152-4
M3 - Article
VL - 14
SP - 319
EP - 330
JO - Social Psychology of Education
JF - Social Psychology of Education
SN - 1381-2890
IS - 3
ER -