Most aspiring teachers likely aim to be the free-spirited Ms. Frizzle from “The Magic School Bus” rather than Miss Othmar wahwahwah-ing in “Peanuts.”
Students instinctively recognize an inspirational teacher, whether on screen or in the classroom.
Two local researchers — one from Cal State Fullerton and one from Chapman University — recently delved into what exactly creates that magic mixture that results in students learning best. In particular, they looked at which messages, both verbal and nonverbal, make students perceive teachers as authentic or inauthentic.
“By teaching authentically, teachers may create more meaningful experiences and deeper learning for all students in a variety of settings and across disciplines,” said the duo in a study recently published in the National Communication Association’s journal, Communication Education.
Zac Johnson, assistant professor in human communication studies at Cal State Fullerton, and Sara LaBelle, assistant professor in communication at Chapman, found that students perceived authentic teachers as approachable, passionate, attentive, capable and knowledgeable. They perceived inauthentic teachers, on the other hand, as unapproachable, lacking passion, inattentive, incapable and disrespectful.
The two researchers, who both received their doctorates from West Virginia University, said that while their field has worked to provide teachers with effective teaching behaviors — such as immediacy and self-disclosure — it has overlooked the idiosyncrasies of individual teachers in enacting such behaviors in a way perceived as authentic by students.
The duo built on existing research showing that increased authenticity is associated with increases in favorable interpersonal outcomes in a variety of contexts, such as relationships and the workplace. They figured it’s likely that in the classroom, the way teachers demonstrate authenticity may affect teacher-student communication and relationships.
But research on that has been bogged down by how tricky it is to assess whether a teacher is really being authentic. Instead of trying to do that, Johnson and LaBelle investigated whether and how students perceive authentic or inauthentic messages from their teachers.
They did this by recruiting 297 undergraduate students at a private mid-size university and providing them with a description of authentic teachers as those who are genuine, self-aware and defined by themselves rather than by others’ expectations as well as bringing parts of themselves into interactions with students.
“When a teacher is being authentic,” the description read, “you might also get the sense that they critically reflect on themselves, their relationships with students and their own teaching.”
The students were then asked to reflect on college professors they considered authentic and tell what those teachers did or said to create that impression. They were also given a description of teacher inauthenticity and asked the same question.
The students identified behaviors or messages employed by teachers they considered authentic and provided examples of typical actions, which the researchers broke down like this:
Approachable
- Telling personal stories and making jokes
- Talking to students before and after class
- Reminding students of availability outside of class
Passionate
- Being excited about content or teaching
- Enthusiasm for content and teaching
Attentive
- Listening
- Providing feedback and/or counseling (i.e., career or personal)
- Knowing student names
- Checking for understanding and general well-being
Capable
- Being prompt and organized
- Detailed syllabi, assignments, and expectations
Knowledgeable
They did the same with behaviors and messages that signaled inauthentic teaching:
Unapproachable
- Failing to offer office hours
- Ignoring students outside of class
- Not offering personal experience or stories
- Not attempting to develop relationships with students
Lack of passion
- No interest in teaching or content
- Seeming bored
Inattentive
- Avoiding questions
- Not knowing students’ names
- Does not offer help
- Played favorites
- Does not ask for feedback
Incapable
- Unclear, unorganized, and unprepared
- Did not explain assignments
- Unfamiliar with material
- Reading from PowerPoint slides or book
Disrespect
- Rude and/or dismissive
- Authoritarian
For example, one student liked that a teacher asked the class, “Anyone go to Vegas this last weekend? Every time I get back from Vegas I’m not feeling too hot.” This student said teachers were approachable through “literally just any insinuation that they’re people too rather than having some smoke screen of professionalism.” Other students mentioned they liked hearing about professors’ own college experiences.
An example of an attentive teacher was one who asks students whether they have heard from a student who missed class due to illness and emails the student afterward to ask how they are. A knowledgeable professor talks “not from the book but from their own thoughts,” responded one student.
The researchers are intrigued that these perceptions of authenticity might boost understanding of effective instruction and lead to some practical implications.
But their findings raise a Catch-22 type of question, they point out: Can teachers apply the identified authentic behaviors inauthentically? Johnson and LaBelle warn that being authentic isn’t merely practicing effective teaching behaviors.
“In their actions and words, authentic teachers communicated to students that they were valued and important parts of the learning process,” they said. Such messages can lead to meaningful personal development for students, such as that conveyed by a student who wrote about one teacher: “He pushed us … to help us grow. He cared about the curriculum but just as much as he cared for his students.”
If instructors can demonstrate authenticity toward students, they said, students will reap benefits. At-risk students in particular are positively impacted by faculty and staff whom they perceive as authentic, previous research has shown.
The researchers recommend teachers demonstrate authenticity by:
- Using time before and after class to talk with students
- Employing activities in class that allow students to share their experiences as they relate to class content to learn about the students and their experiences
- Viewing teaching as an opportunity for dialogue between themselves and students
“Our participants made it clear that a teacher’s effort to view themselves and their students as individuals had a lasting impact,” wrote Johnson and LaBelle.