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Lecturers’ and students’ conceptions of authenticity in teaching and actual teacher actions and attributes students perceive as helpful

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Abstract

This study investigated an under-explored area in the field of academic practice: the meaning of the complex notion of authenticity in teaching. Combining conceptual with empirical investigation, data included philosophical texts, repertory grid interviews with fifty-five lecturers and students from Law, Physics and English Literature, and fourteen focus groups with forty-six students. Philosophical conceptions were compared to those held by students and lecturers. Qualitative and quantitative analyses of repertory grids revealed differences in experts’/philosophers’ and lay-people’s conceptions of authenticity and additionally showed how lecturers’ and students’ conceptions of authenticity in teaching differed from their conceptions of teaching effectiveness. Focus groups identified linkages between authenticity in teaching and actual teacher actions and attributes that students perceive as being conducive to their learning. The findings enhance the meaning of authenticity, show how it matters in university teaching and offer a hitherto lacking theoretical foundation for further research.

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  1. ‘Achieving successful graduate outcomes’, 2006.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Education, The University of Edinburgh University, St John’s Land, 4.13, Holyrood Campus, Edinburgh, EH8 8AQ, UK

    Carolin Kreber

  2. Berufsbildungswerk der Deutschen Versicherungswirtschaft (BWV) e.V., Vocational Training Institute of the German Insurance Industry, Arabellastraße 29, 81925, Munich, Germany

    Monika Klampfleitner

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  1. Carolin Kreber
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  2. Monika Klampfleitner
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Correspondence to Carolin Kreber.

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Kreber, C., Klampfleitner, M. Lecturers’ and students’ conceptions of authenticity in teaching and actual teacher actions and attributes students perceive as helpful. High Educ 66, 463–487 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-013-9616-x

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