The interaction between university instructors and their students is essential to the learning process in the context of higher education. Nonetheless, a prevalent complaint among students is the lack of comprehensive input from their instructors and the lack of concern for their scholastic advancement. While this issue might seem straightforward, a closer examination through the lens of social constructionism and other sociological theories reveals a complex interplay of factors at play. In this blog post, I will delve into why some university professors might not provide detailed feedback to students and why they may appear not to care while navigating the intricate web of sociological dynamics. In this blog article, I will explore the complex web of sociological relations and explore why certain university instructors might not provide students with thorough feedback or why they could seem uninterested.
Social Constructionism: The Academic Environment as a Construct
According to social constructionism, social interactions and processes shape reality. Within the confines of a university, the staff, instructors, and students socially construct the academic environment, including the standards, values, and expectations. This design affects how instructors behave and feel about giving criticism.
Institutional Expectations and Norms
Universities frequently prioritize research and publication work over instruction because of institutional incentives and established reward structures. It is possible that professors are adjusting to an academic atmosphere that prioritizes research output, which means they spend less time and energy on teaching responsibilities, such as giving thorough feedback.
Example: A professor at a research-intensive university may spend most of their time on research activities because their performance evaluation and promotion are heavily based on research output and publication in high-impact journals rather than teaching quality or student engagement.
Allocation of Workload and Resources
The ability of professors to give each student individualized attention is strained in many colleges due to the rising student-to-faculty ratio. To efficiently manage their workload, professors who are juggling several duties and obligations may resort to giving generic or minimal criticism.
Example: A professor teaching large introductory classes with hundreds of students might find it logistically challenging to provide personalized and detailed feedback to each student. Consequently, they might resort to automated or generic feedback mechanisms to manage the volume of grading.
The Significance of Interpersonal Communication in Symbolic Interactionism
Symbolic interactionism is concerned with how meanings and interactions influence people’s behavior. Instructors’ views of their positions and interactions with students can influence the degree and caliber of feedback they give.
Viewpoint on Student Involvement
Instructors’ perceptions of how involved and interested their students are in the course may affect their propensity to offer in-depth criticism. Professors may be less inclined to take the time to prepare in-depth responses if they believe that students are uninterested or not using the feedback.
Example: A professor might notice that many students do not attend office hours, scheduled meetings, or actively participate in class discussions. Interpreting this as a lack of interest, the professor might conclude that detailed feedback would not be valued or utilized, reducing the effort they put into personalized feedback.
Barriers to Communication
Dissatisfaction might result from unclear expectations or poor communication between instructors and students on feedback. Instructors may think they are giving students enough feedback, but students may have different expectations depending on their learning preferences or educational experiences.
Example: A professor, particularly in a large university setting, might not clearly understand each student’s expectations for feedback due to limited direct interaction. Conversely, students from diverse educational backgrounds might expect a type of feedback that differs from the professor’s standard approach, leading to a mismatch in expectations and perceived adequacy of feedback.
Conflict Theory: Classroom Power Relations
This problem can also be clarified by applying conflict theory, first proposed by Karl Marx and emphasizing the power struggles and competition for resources inside the educational system.
The Power Hierarchy
Because educational organizations are inherently hierarchical, some instructors may feel less responsible for conducting thorough evaluations. The power imbalance might create an environment where students’ needs and voices are not given priority.
Example: In some academic settings, the traditional hierarchical structure places professors in a position of authority over students. This dynamic can sometimes lead to a less approachable atmosphere, where students may hesitate to request more detailed feedback or express their needs, and professors may not feel a strong impetus to offer more than cursory comments on assignments.
Competition for Resources
Academics may be vying with one another for scarce resources like administrative assistance, tenure-track posts, and money for their research. Their attention and resources may be drawn away from their teaching duties, which include giving thorough feedback, by this competition.
Example: Professors in a department may be competing for a limited pool of resources, such as funding for research assistants, lab space, or administrative support. A professor engaged in this competition might prioritize activities that directly contribute to their success in this competition (e.g., grant writing, publishing) over activities like providing detailed feedback, which is often time-consuming and not directly rewarded in the resource allocation process.
Conclusion: A Multifaceted Issue Requiring a Multidimensional Approach
It goes beyond simple preference or attitude regarding university instructors’ apparent apathy and lack of thorough criticism. It’s a complicated problem with a larger institutional and societal background. To comprehend this problem, one must take a multifaceted approach, taking into account the power dynamics in educational institutions, the social construction of academic norms, and interpersonal communication dynamics.
All parties involved must work together to address this issue effectively: universities must reward and recognize excellent instruction and feedback, professors must be given the tools and resources they need to manage their workloads, and lines of communication between instructors and students must be improved to guarantee that expectations and perceptions are clear.
By taking a sociological approach, we may start to understand the nuances of instructors’ feedback procedures and endeavor to create a more supportive learning atmosphere where each student feels appreciated and encouraged to pursue their academic goals.