Variations in lecturer task orientation and student perceptions of course effectiveness

Abstract

The university professor’s power position requires the professor to provide a high degree of structure, or task orientation, in courses taught according to the literature on leadership effectiveness. Goal clarity theory suggests that the structure will then be self-motivating, which in turn reinforces the professor’s power position. It would follow that students’ high effectiveness ratings for personalized system of instruction (psi) programs could be an artifact of the structuring of the course that the method requires. Different configurations of three courses (N = 252) were used in a complex quasi-experimental design. Courses were taught by traditional lecture, with full program PSI, and traditional lecture with the high-PSI structuring only. Highly structured traditional lecture courses matched the complete PSI programs of instruction in achieving higher effectiveness ratings than those given to traditional lecture courses. If students’ ratings of course effectiveness are the sole criterion of teaching effectiveness used by administrators, professors would be wise to structure their courses carefully and thoroughly. Results were significant beyond the.01 level.