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Students-as-informants: Investigating the use of feedback by ITAs

Little, Dawn Kimberley
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1461173392

Abstract Details

2016, Doctor of Philosophy, Ohio State University, EDU Teaching and Learning.
This study was conducted to develop a deeper understanding of the interaction between international teaching assistants and the students they teach. The study was specifically designed to explore the ways in which students offer novice ITAs feedback about their instruction, the subsequent manner of uptake of the feedback by ITAs as well as the impact of individual and institutional characteristics on the phenomenon at a large mid-western state university. The overarching methodological philosophy was naturalistic inquiry with a qualitative case study approach to collect, analyze, and interpret data. Data collection consisted of classroom observations of the ITAs’ teaching sessions, semi-structured interviews with ITAs, journal writing, a student survey for each ITA’s class, and relevant document analysis. The analysis of data was facilitated by intersectionality, a theoretical framework which complements a naturalistic inquiry. Intersectionality is based on the assumption that the lived experiences of individuals and groups is based on the interaction of more than one category of difference (e.g. race, class, and gender) and compounded by contextual factors. Results of a cross-case analysis indicated that the five novice ITAs were accorded varying degrees of latitude for individual agency based on a "mixed bag" of privileges and hindrances both within and beyond their control. In the cross-case analysis, nine themes emerged which impacted ITAs’ use of student feedback: distance between students and ITAs, time constraints, small teacher-to-student ratio, overestimation of students’ preparedness for course material, differentiated responsiveness to students, the necessity of patience, the contribution of faculty and senior TAs, foreign language anxiety, and context matters.
Keiko Samimy (Advisor)
Alan Hirvela (Committee Member)
Valerie Kinloch (Committee Member)
281 p.
English As A Second Language; Higher Education; Pedagogy
novice ITAs; international teaching assistants; ITAs; cross-cultural classroom; American college students; feedback; student feedback; student evaluations; student evaluation of the instructor; SEI; intersectionality; ITA training; ITA socialization

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Little, D. K. (2016). Students-as-informants: Investigating the use of feedback by ITAs [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1461173392

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Little, Dawn. Students-as-informants: Investigating the use of feedback by ITAs. 2016. Ohio State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1461173392.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Little, Dawn. "Students-as-informants: Investigating the use of feedback by ITAs." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University, 2016. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1461173392

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu1461173392
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© 2016, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.