Erin YezbickFollow

Date

5-2016

Department

School of Education

Degree

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Chair

Vivian O. Jones

Keywords

Correlation, Expectations, Freshman, General Education, Perceptions, Rapport

Disciplines

Curriculum and Social Inquiry | Education | Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research | Educational Methods | Educational Psychology | Other Education

Abstract

The researcher attempted to determine if a correlation exists between student/instructor rapport, student perceptions of instructor effectiveness, and course grade expectations for freshman general education courses at a career college in the Great Lakes Region of the United States. Previous studies have determined that rapport affects motivation (Bergström, 2010; Frisby, Berger, Burchett, Herovic, & Strawser, 2014; Legg & Wilson, 2009), perceptions of teacher effectiveness (Giles, 2011; Kozub, 2010), and evaluation scores (Barth, 2008; Kowai-Bell, Guadango, Little, & Ballew, 2012). The researcher asked the following research questions: Is there a relationship between student/instructor rapport, as measured by the Professor-Student Rapport Scale (Wilson, Ryan, & Pugh, 2010), and student perceptions of instructor effectiveness in freshman general education courses at a career college in the Great Lakes Region of the United States; and is there a relationship between student/instructor rapport and students’ expectations of their overall course grade in freshman general education courses at a career college in the Great Lakes Region of the United States? The study was conducted as quantitative research using a non-experimental correlational research design. The study was conducted at a career college in the Great Lakes Region of the United States using students enrolled in general education courses. Data were collected using two instruments, the Professor-Student Rapport Scale and the IDEA Student Ratings of Instruction Short Form. The data were analyzed using Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient (Pearson’s r) and Spearman’s rank-order correlation coefficient (Spearman’s rs). The study found statistically significant positive correlations between Professor-Student Rapport and Instructor Evaluation and between Professor-Student Rapport and Student Expected Course Grade.

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