Faculty research involvement and instructional outcomes

Abstract

Faculty members in the natural-mathematical sciences (N=93) and in the social-behavioral sciences (N=90) were rated on "research involvement" by department heads and on "teaching outcomes" by students. Differences in teaching outcomes for members of the two disciplines confirmed several common stereotypes. Those heavily involved in research appeared to establish higher academic standards for students than did the relatively uninvolved, but the two faculty groups generally did not differ on student progress ratings. However, for four of ten criterion measures, a significant interaction occurred. Student ratings were positively related to the degree of research involvement for faculty members in natural-mathematical sciences but negatively related to research involvement on the part of social-behavioral scientists.