Undergraduate Perceptions of Graduate Teaching Assistants: Competence, Relatedness, and Autonomy in Practice

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session 3
  In Roundtable Session: Mentorship and Relationship Development for Minoritized Students and Faculty

Abstract

Graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) play a significant role in higher education and in the education of undergraduate students. Previous research suggests that undergraduate students perceive GTAs differently than faculty instructors, but little has been done to explore the nature of those perceptions. This exploratory study uses a framework of self-determination theory to investigate how university students describe the effective teaching practices of GTAs and how those descriptions vary depending on GTA gender, GTA international status, and course domain. Findings suggest that the majority of undergraduates described GTAs’ competence-supportive practices and that descriptions varied based on GTAs’ international status and on course domain. Implications for GTA training are discussed.

Authors

• Jendayi Bizzelle Dillard, The University of Texas at Austin

• Emily Bell