What to wear? The role of instructor attire on students' perceptions
Session Type
Presentation
Room
Physics and Astronomy, room 117
Start Date
16-7-2025 11:00 AM
End Date
16-7-2025 11:30 AM
Keywords
Instructors attire, student perceptions
Primary Threads
None of the Above
Abstract
Instructors’ non-verbal cues play a crucial role in shaping student perceptions, particularly in terms of warmth and competence, two key dimensions that influence trust, engagement, and role modelling in the classroom. One non-verbal cue that instructors have agency over is their choice of attire. Experimental research indicates that formal attire increases perceptions of competence, but at the cost of perceived instructor warmth (Oliver et. al. 2020). However, no research to date has investigated how instructor clothing influences students in an actual classroom, let alone an undergraduate biology classroom. This study employs a quasi-experimental design in which two instructors, each teaching multiple sections of an introductory biology lab taught some sections in casual attire (i.e., jeans and a graphic tee) and others wearing formal attire (i.e., dress pants and a blouse). This attire was maintained across sections for an entire semester. A pre- and post-survey design was used to assess how these manipulated differences in attire influenced students’ perceptions of their instructor upon first impression and at the end of the semester. Outcomes of interest include students’ perception of their instructors’ warmth, competence, and whether they viewed their instructor as a role model. 380 students completed the pre- survey and 316 completed the post-survey. We will present results from ongoing analyses, which include multilevel models testing for an effect of treatment on students’ perceptions of their instructor and for interactions between treatment and student level variables (e.g., students’ gender, ethnicity). By investigating the relationship between instructor attire and these key attributes, this research aims to provide insight into how seemingly small, yet intentional, choices made before class can shape students' perceptions of their instructors and classroom experiences. This research was approved by Research Ethics Boards at Simon Fraser University (REB #30002689) and the University of Guelph (REB #1346).
Elements of Engagement
The presentation will include active elements where participants will reflect and answer informal polls regarding the importance of instructor attire and make predictions about study results. No handouts or links will be used during the presentation.
What to wear? The role of instructor attire on students' perceptions
Physics and Astronomy, room 117
Instructors’ non-verbal cues play a crucial role in shaping student perceptions, particularly in terms of warmth and competence, two key dimensions that influence trust, engagement, and role modelling in the classroom. One non-verbal cue that instructors have agency over is their choice of attire. Experimental research indicates that formal attire increases perceptions of competence, but at the cost of perceived instructor warmth (Oliver et. al. 2020). However, no research to date has investigated how instructor clothing influences students in an actual classroom, let alone an undergraduate biology classroom. This study employs a quasi-experimental design in which two instructors, each teaching multiple sections of an introductory biology lab taught some sections in casual attire (i.e., jeans and a graphic tee) and others wearing formal attire (i.e., dress pants and a blouse). This attire was maintained across sections for an entire semester. A pre- and post-survey design was used to assess how these manipulated differences in attire influenced students’ perceptions of their instructor upon first impression and at the end of the semester. Outcomes of interest include students’ perception of their instructors’ warmth, competence, and whether they viewed their instructor as a role model. 380 students completed the pre- survey and 316 completed the post-survey. We will present results from ongoing analyses, which include multilevel models testing for an effect of treatment on students’ perceptions of their instructor and for interactions between treatment and student level variables (e.g., students’ gender, ethnicity). By investigating the relationship between instructor attire and these key attributes, this research aims to provide insight into how seemingly small, yet intentional, choices made before class can shape students' perceptions of their instructors and classroom experiences. This research was approved by Research Ethics Boards at Simon Fraser University (REB #30002689) and the University of Guelph (REB #1346).