CLASSROOM INTERACTIONS: THE EFFECTS OF TEACHER SEX EQUITY AND EFFECTIVENESS TRAINING AT A COLLEGE FOR HEARING-IMPAIRED STUDENTS (DEAF EDUCATION, GALLAUDET UNIVERSITY, WASHINGTON, D.C.)

The purpose of the study was to investigate the effects of a two and one-half day faculty training workshop designed to promote sex equitable and effective teacher-student interactions at a postsecondary institution for hearing-impaired students. The major research questions asked: (1) Do the relative percentages of teacher feedback categorized as praise, acceptance, remediation and criticism distributed by professors significantly change following training? (2) Are teacher-student interactions more equitably distributed between male and female students following training? (3) Do professors distribute praise, acceptance, remediation and criticism comments more equitably to male and female hearing-impaired students following training? Additional research questions pertain to student participation and the differences between male and female professors' distribution of feedback. Data were obtained from a sample of twenty Gallaudet College professors (collected during two consecutive semesters). Professors were observed teaching three times during the fall semester (pre-observation), then, after participating in the training workshop were observed three additional times for comparison (post-observation). Observers were trained to code classroom interactions using the INTERSECT Observation Instrument. Observers maintained an interrater reliability of .85 or higher. Analysis of variance with repeated measurements was the statistical procedure used. The Tukey HSD test was also used to compare individual mean scores as a follow-up procedure to each of the analyses. Post-observation findings reflected a significant decrease in the relative percentage of non-specific teacher feedback categorized as accept. Professors also distributed praise comments more equitably to female students. Additionally, a 40 percent increase in the frequency of professor-student interactions was observed. During pre- and post-observation it was noted that the percent of students who did not participate during class time was significantly higher in male taught classes than in female taught classes. Results suggested that training to promote equitable and effective teacher-student interactions may be a successful means to reducing bias in classes for hearing-impaired students. Following awareness activities and skill development, both hearing and hearing-impaired professors tended to encourage student participation with greater frequency, praise students more equitably and increase the precision of their reactions to student responses.