Passionate pedagogy and emotional labor: Students' responses to learning diversity from diverse instructors

April M. Schueths, Tanya Gladney, Devan M. Crawford, Katherine L. Bass, Helen A. Moore

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

12 Scopus citations

Abstract

This qualitative study examines emotion themes reflected in student evaluations from required diversity courses at a predominantly white, US public university. We analyze two years of student evaluations for 29 instructors. Situated by the work of Acker, Jaggar, and Hochschild, we find contradictory themes of perceived instructional bias and the value of diversity lessons. Student evaluations result in systematic disadvantage for minority instructors that may be heightened for female instructors of color. Non-minority instructors (both male and female) gain privileges by avoiding dealing with diversity directly which is reflected in student evaluations through the process of "ducking diversity". The organizational structure of required diversity courses marginalizes the scholarship and emotion work of minority instructors and inherently reproduces the very inequalities they are designed to combat.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1259-1276
Number of pages18
JournalInternational Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education
Volume26
Issue number10
DOIs
StatePublished - Nov 2013

Keywords

  • diversity
  • emotional labor
  • higher education
  • teaching and learning

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