Student and Faculty Perceptions of Professorial Attitudes: A Study and an Invitation to Study

This paper is a call for participation in an ongoing international comparative study of faculty and student perceptions of professorial attitudes, and how professorial attitude affects successful learning experiences in an academic setting. Student expectations of faculty and the institutions in which they teach vary by year and level of study. Further variations are apparent as the pressures of employment andfinances weigh on students. Faculty expectations and understandings of students are also changing and mayor may not match the realities experienced by students. Data were gathered at Brock University in 1997 that indicated several trends in professorial attitudes and behaviour. The original study was conducted via a traditional paper questionnaire. The current study employs a questionnaire designed to be accessed and completed over the Web. Implications of the study will be considered as related to the following three areas: theory, practice, and further research. The following questions will be used to study the implications in these areas. Are there any differences or similarities between and among different nationalities and cultures in attitudes towards the professorate? To what might differences and similarities in attitudes between and among cultural groups be attributed? What areas has the study identified that require further research? Information gathered will be concerned with the following findings as derived from the data to be collected: site by site analysis of survey items for students and faculty at each participating institution; and statistical comparisons between and among sites. Findings will be used to develop a model to foster understanding of underlying issues in effective and not so effective teaching in higher education. Also included is a review of literature concerning the areas of successful learning, personality, epistemology, and the practice of teaching and learnin