| The purpose of this study was to explore the differing conceptions instructors and students have of the various factors to instructor credibility and to further investigate whether or not an instructor's approach to teaching has any bearing on these conceptions. Collective case study was the methodology used. The case studies consisted of interviews of six instructors in order to describe their particular pedagogical strategy and the factors they believe constitute instructor credibility. In addition, open-ended questionnaires were distributed to a total of 234 students in nine classes in order to garner their perceptions of the instructors' pedagogical strategies and credibility. I also observed and videotaped two instructors' classes and then analyzed their own as well as their students' perceptions of what the instructors' behaviors in the video suggested about the instructors' pedagogy and credibility. Key among the findings was that although some instructors' pedagogical strategies were strongly characterized by relational concerns, these instructors did not discuss goodwill as an important factor in instructor credibility. In contrast, one goodwill factor, “cares/relates well,” was the second most frequently mentioned credibility factor by students. Moreover, the two instructors whose self-described pedagogical strategies included the least focus on traditional and hierarchical features were perceived by many of their students to be somewhat cold and distant and to encourage relatively little class interaction. Possible reasons for these two instructors' inconsistent self-presentations are posited in the last chapter and implications discussed for instructional communication. |
