Looking into the Teaching Crystal: Graduate Teaching and the Future of Political Science

Abstract

Few studies address what graduate students actually learn in teacher training courses, or how graduate instructors implement their knowledge of teaching in their classrooms. Our research addresses the apparent divergence among advocacy, training, and actual practice through a comparative analysis of graduate instructor teaching philosophies and graduate instructor teaching behavior. The research methodology includes a self evaluation survey of teaching styles for instructors to present their teaching philosophies, as well as observations of classroom techniques employed by graduate instructors. This study is a pilot project for future investigations of graduate student instructors and teaching effectiveness by including our findings along with insights for improvement. After examining the data from the surveys and evaluations, we offer recommendations for the discipline of political science to improve teacher training and address the concerns of universities about the quality of teachers produced.

Keywords:

• graduate teaching
• instructor training
• teaching technique

We would like to thank Robert Bartlett and Laura Schneider for their knowledge and assistance, as well as the study participants, without which this project would not be possible. We would also like to thank the three anonymous reviewers for their comments and criticisms.

Notes

N = 12.

N = 12.

Scale: Strongly Agree (SA); Agree (A); Neutral (N); Disagree (D); Strongly Disagree (SD); Not Applicable (NA).

Graduate teachers are black boxes because the literature believes that the institutional procedures ultimately create good professors. The concerns, ideas, and responses of graduate instructors are not significantly covered in a literature that is supposed to help them teach.

Due to scheduling conflicts, the researchers were not able to attend all of the classes together.

Though the original work of Boyer (1997) widely received praise for placing the four types of scholarship on an equal playing field, subsequent work has left teaching undefined, underspecified, or simply difficult to assess. Kreber, Caroline, and Patricia A. Cranton. 2000. “Exploring the Scholarship of Teaching.” The Journal of Higher Education 71(4): 476–495.

To be effective, new faculty must successfully manage the three essential parts of their professional career: service commitments, teaching requirements, and research. If scholars feel inadequate about their performance, it will negatively affect all three areas. See Prieto, Loreto R., and Steven A. Meyers. 1999. “Effects of Training and Supervision on Self-Efficacy of Psychology Graduate Teaching Assistants.” Teaching of Psychology 26(4): 264–266.; Silverman, Stephen. 2003. “The Role of Teaching in the Preparation of Future Faculty.” Quest 55: 72–81.

There are further problems with PFF programs and current evaluations. Since PFF programs are voluntary, one can assume that the participants have either more motivation or stronger interest in their future careers. There is a strong chance that these individuals would have pursued an alternative means with faculty and institutions on their own initiatives.

Examples of this include: Association of American Colleges. 1993. “A Challenge to Graduate Education: Better Preparation for a New Generation of College Teachers. An Executive Summary.” PS: Political Science and Politics 26(2): 255–257.; Henschen, Beth M. 1993. “Easing the Transition: From Doctoral Student to Academic Professional.” PS: Political Science and Politics 26(1): 80–82.; Knotts, H. Gibbs, and Eleanor C. Main. 1999. “Teaching Ph.D. Students to Teach Political Science: The Emory TATTO Program.” PS: Political Science and Politics 32(3): 607–610.; Wasby, Stephen L. 1971. “On Preparing Teachers.” PS: Political Science and Politics 4(2): 152–154.