Gender Patterns in College Students' Choices of Their Best and Worst Professors

Abstract

Students ( N = 175) at a large public university described their best and worst professors. Male students chose a female professor as “best” less often than expected whereas female students chose a female professor as often as expected. There were no gender differences in choice of “worst” professors. Descriptions of best and worst professors varied by professor and student gender. Overall, the male student-female professor pairing seemed most affected by gender dynamics, with male students most likely to emphasize their best female professors' interpersonal skills, especially being approachable. Male students also were most likely to describe their worst female professor in terms of poor classroom interactions, especially closed-mindedness. Although the most frequently used descriptive qualities of best and worst professors showed similarities to those found in previous research, the hidden gendered patterns raise troubling questions for the use of student nominations and comments to choose superior teachers.