As teachers, we cannot help but wonder what
kind of impression we are making on our students, i.e.,
what are our students' attitudes about us? The reality
of the situation is that it is our students who determine
our "worth" or "credibility" as teachers.
What is troublesome about this scenario, is that there
may be a great disparity between our own perception of
our teaching and our students' perceptions of our teaching.
Therefore, having access to a conceptual tool that can
help us understand why students perceive us as they do,
can be very valuable.
Teacher Credibility
Some years ago, Berlo, Lemert, and Mertz
(1969) proposed that speaker credibility was composed
of three factors: competence, trustworthiness, and dynamism.
The basic idea of teacher credibility has continued to
be a viable concept since then, and has even been applied
to the field of leadership (Cooper and Simonds, 1998;
Kouzes and Posner, 1993). While the intent of the original
research was focused on speaker credibility, these factors
can be an excellent model for "shedding light"
on what our students are thinking about us as teachers.
That is, the teacher who is competent, trustworthy, and
dynamic is generally deemed to be a "credible"
teacher.
1. Teaching Behaviors that Affect "Teacher Credibility"
The following is a list of specific teaching
behaviors that identify the teacher as being "credible"
by students. What is important to remember is that these
behaviors can be learned.
|
Competent
|
Trustworthy
|
Dynamic
|
| Can explain complex material well |
Follows through on promises |
Has high energy |
| Has good classroom management skills |
Gives immediate feedback |
Is interesting |
| Has the ability to answer student
questions |
Offers a rational explanation for grading |
Is flexible, i.e., can deviate to increase student
interest |
| Can reference significant works of
others |
Shows no biases, i.e., teaches from multiple perspectives |
Has good presentation skills |
| Communicates well |
Treats all students the same |
Uses a variety of teaching techniques |
| Can "do" what you are teaching |
Never embarrasses students |
Is unpredictable |
| Has broad base of information |
Is flexible |
Relates positively to students |
| |
|
Adds own "personality" to the class |
2. Using the Model of Teacher Credibility as a tool for
examining one's own teaching: An Example.
If a teacher is experiencing low course
evaluations, it may be because s/he is failing to exhibit
particular teaching behaviors that promote positive student
perceptions. For example, one teacher kept getting low
course evaluations even though she appeared to be doing
good things in the classroom. That is, she was extremely
knowledgeable of the subject, was quite fair with exams
and assignments, and kept the students actively involved
during each class period. Because this particular teacher
was quite concerned about the low course evaluations,
an instructional consultant was called in to evaluate
the situation.
As a method for gathering information, the
consultant interviewed several students in the class.
While the information received from the students was generally
helpful, it was not until the consultant categorized the
students' remarks according to the three dimensions of
speaker credibility that problem areas began to emerge.
In this case, the greatest problem appeared to be in the
area of teacher competence. It seems that this particular
teacher felt uncomfortable answering complex student questions
"on the spot;" therefore, her practice was to
prepare a comprehensive answer to the student's question
and either respond by email or bring the answer to the
next class period. As a result of failing to respond immediately
to complex questions asked in class, students perceived
the teacher to be lacking in knowledge, i. e., "incompetent,"
and expressed their dissatisfaction on the course evaluations.
As a result of the knowledge obtained through the use
of the Credibility Model, the teacher was able to identify
the source of the problem, make significant changes in
the method by which she answered questions in class, and
students no longer regarded her as incompetent.
3. Recommendations for Personal Application:
Use the Credibility Model as a framework for monitoring
your own teaching. That is, by using one or more of the
suggestions below, try to determine how you measure up
in the areas of: competence, trustworthiness, and dynamism.
a. Review previous course evaluations,
look for emerging patterns (e.g. student scores and/or
comments about exams, assignments, teacher behavior,
etc.)
b. Monitor yourself as you teach, for
example:
· pay close attention to any
kind of student feedback, both verbal and nonverbal,
· bring an audio cassette player to class and
record class proceedings,
· videotape your class.
c. Collect additional data from your students
· use a course evaluation, or
· create your own open-ended questions,
d. Personally interview students, either
individually or collectively, or ask someone else to
interview your students.
2. "Dimensions for evaluating the acceptability
of message sources" by Berlo, D. K., Lemert, J. B.,
& Mertz, R. J. Public Opinion Quarterly, 33 (1969),
pp. 563-76.
3. Cooper, P.S. and Simonds, C.1998, Communication
for the Classroom Teacher, 6th ed. Boston: Allyn &
Bacon.
4. Kouzes, J.S. and Posner, B.Z. 1993, Credibility:
How Leaders Gain It and Lose It, Why People Demand It.
San Francisco; Jossey-Bass.
