Myths About Student-Faculty Relationships: What Do Students Really Want?

Authors

  • Michael G. Garko University of South Florida Author
  • Colleen Kough Manatee Community College Author
  • Gina Pignata Manatee County School Board Author
  • Ellen B. Kimmel University of South Florida Author
  • James Eison University of South Florida Author

Abstract

The study reported in this article explored students' views about their relationships with professors. In previous research, students typically were asked to rate and rank preformulated items that characterized the ideal teacher. Students rarely (if ever) were requested to describe in their own words what they most preferred in their relationships with professors. In the present investigation, students were asked to describe the ideal student-teacher relationship. A thematic analysis of the students' narratives revealed that although students were interested in the "business" of the student-teacher relationship, they also wanted to connect with their professors. Among other things, students wanted equality, mutuality, and respect in their relationships with professors. The students' narratives did not support the commonly held faculty beliefs that students want to be anonymous or want professors to be in control, to entertain them, to be paragons of virtue, or to be buddies. Professors who maintain these mythical beliefs, therefore, may undermine their relationships with students.

Published

2024-03-22