Ratemyprofessors.com evaluations affect academically entitled intentions and expectations

ABSTRACT

This study investigated if Ratemyprofessors.com evaluations’ valence influences students’ academically entitled intentions to request course policy exceptions and lower their evaluation of professors who do not grant them. It also investigated academically entitled expectations that professors will grant requests and are responsible for students’ grades. The study also investigated if valence effects differed by professor and student gender. These were investigated while controlling for academic entitlement. Undergraduates (n = 338) read Ratemyprofessors.com evaluations for a fictitious professor and rated their academically entitled intentions and academically entitled expectations. Participants reported greater intention to request all policy exceptions of and expect they be granted by positively evaluated professors. Women students reported greater expectation that positively evaluated professors would grant certain exceptions. Findings suggest Ratemyprofessors.com evaluations engender academically entitled intentions and expectations. Findings have implications for faculty–student relationships, student learning, and professors’ stress and risk for burnout. These implications and limitations are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• Ratemyprofessors.com
• Academic entitlement
• Gender
• Evaluations of teaching

Declaration of interest

There are no conflicts of interest to disclose.

Highlights

• Ratemyprofessors.com use is related to academic entitlement

• Ratemyprofessors.com use engenders academically entitled attitudes

• Ratemyprofessors.com evaluation valence influences academically entitled attitudes

• Participant gender influences academically entitled attitudes

• Ratemyprofessors.com use has implications for the professor-student relationship

Notes

¹ A MANOVA found no significant difference in frequency of reading or writing/planning to write RMP evaluations between university classes in the current sample. However, statistical power fell below the conventional .80 threshold (Cohen, 1988), likely due to the small number of juniors and seniors.

Additional information

Funding

Completion of this project was made possible through the Faculty Workload Reassignment Award at University of the Incarnate Word.