Effects of Perceived Teacher Personality on Student Class Evaluations: A Comparison between Japanese Instructors and Native English Speaking Instructors

Abstract

This study explores how university students' perceptions of their classes and instructor personality contribute to their overall rating of the class. The study also investigates whether the students rate Japanese instructors and native English speaking instructors differently. Data was collected using a questionnaire comprised of instructional rating and teacher personality rating sections. The instructional rating section was based on the Instructional Rating Form (Tomasco, 1980), and European Portfolio for Student Teachers of Languages (Newby et al., 2007) whereas the teacher personality rating section was derived from Murray, Rushton, and Paunonen (1990). The study employed statistical analyses including multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA), principal components analysis and regression analysis. The results of the study revealed that students' perceptions of the class as interesting, organized and clear, positively influenced their overall rating of the class. On the other hand, their perceptions of their instructor as aggressive, dominant, anxious, and authoritarian negatively affected the overall rating. The findings also indicated that when it comes to Japanese instructors, personality traits such as sociable, ambitious, intellectually curious, intelligent, and gentle influenced students' overall ratings.

Influence of Instructor Personality on Student Evaluation of Teaching: A Comparison between English Majors and Non-English Majors

“…Mori and Tanabe (2012) conducted a survey with 280 Japanese university students learning English and found a considerable degree of influence of teacher personality on class evaluations. In the subsequent study, Tanabe and Mori (2013) attempted to see whether students' attitudes could differ depending on teacher nationality, Japanese or native English speakers, and found that the teacher personality factor held more weight for the Japanese instructors than native English speaking instructors in terms of overall evaluations of class.…”

Culture Distance and Cultural Dimensions in Diverse ELT Environments: A Quantitative Investigation

“…Given that large numbers of Japanese students study English with native English speaking teachers (MEXT, 2011;Tanabe & Mori, 2013), who may appear to differ considerably from students in terms of cultural dimensions and value orientations (Hofstede et al, 2010), this study explored potential culture distance that may impact this learning dynamic. Using the Cultural Dimensions of Learning (CDLF) framework, the cultural learning preferences of freshman Japanese university students and Native English speaking Teachers (NESTs) were compared.…”

“…The variety of preferences expressed by the participants in this study may have resulted from exposure to multiple instructional environments, and this offers some support for Tran's (2013) claim that pedagogical practices may have a greater impact on learning preferences than culture. The students in this study would likely have been exposed to a variety of instructional approaches as a result of having studied with ALTs from overseas in Japanese junior high and high schools, (MEXT, 2011;Tanabe & Mori, 2013). They were also enrolled in university EFL classes taught by international teachers at the time of this study.…”

“…Measures are also being taken to incentivize Japanese students to study overseas, including the enhancement of their English language proficiency, which is seen as essential for successful study abroad (Shimomura, 2013). Tanabe and Mori (2013) have reported that many Japanese university EFL students currently study English with Native English Speaking Teachers (NESTs), who, based on Hofstede, Hofstede & Minkov's (2010) cross cultural analysis, differ considerably from Japanese students in terms of cultural dimensions and value orientations.…”

The integration of prophetic values in developing the teachers’ personality competency assessment instrument

“…The result of Yoshitaka's research shows that the teacher's personality gives a huge influence on the acceptance of the students, so it is necessary to involve the students in the teacher's personality assessment activities. Students should be a party to assess the personality of teachers with their perceptions [7]. such as Health and Retirement Study (HRS).…”