The Relationship of Ethnicity and Sex to Professor Credibility at a Culturally Diverse University

Abstract

This study examines the extent sex and ethnicity play in perceptions that university students have of teacher credibility. Students were sampled at a university with a predominately Hispanic population. A multivariate effect was found for teacher ethnicity on perceptions of competence and caring, with Caucasian instructors rated higher than Hispanic instructors. However, effect sizes were minimal. On the other hand, nonverbal immediacy, which was used as a covariate, accounted for much more of the variance in student perceptions and was strongly correlated with all three dimensions of teacher credibility. In addition, teacher variables such as immediacy and expertise, as opposed to ethnicity and sex, were major contributors to perceived student learning.

Keywords:

• Teacher immediacy
• Nonverbal immediacy
• Teacher credibility
• Teacher ethnicity
• Teacher sex
• Homophily
• Student learning

Notes

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

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Jack Glascock

Jack Glascock (PhD, Michigan State University, 1996) is an Associate Professor in the School of Communication at Illinois State University

Thomas E. Ruggiero

Thomas E. Ruggiero (PhD, Bowling Green State University, 1999) is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Texas at El Paso