1. Authenticity in College Classrooms: A Qualitative Study Exploring Student Perceptions and Instructor Insights
Ursula VanAntwerp, Graduate Student, UNO GRACA Recipient University of Nebraska - Omaha

2. Preview Purpose of the Study Authenticity Defined Literature Review
Research Questions
Methodology
Thematic and Trait Analysis
Discussion
Questions

3. Purpose of the Study
Examine how college students identify authentic instructors
Explore how authentic instructors view themselves

4. Authentic Leadership
“those who are deeply aware of how they think and behave and are perceived by others as being aware of their own and others’ values/moral perspectives, knowledge and strengths; aware of the context in which they operate; and who are confident, hopeful, optimistic, resilient, and of high moral character”
Avolio, B.J., Gardner, W. L., Walumba, F. O., Luthans, F. & May, D. R. (2004). Unlocking the mask: A look at the process by which authentic leaders impact follower attitudes and behavior. The Leadership Quarterly, 15,

5. Literature Review Authentic Leadership Research
Authentic Leadership Theory (Northouse, 2013)
self-awareness, internalized moral perspective, balanced processing, and relational transparency
Business Organizations
Psychology
Educational Administrative Leadership (Duignan, 2015)
Gap in Authentic Leadership Literature
Student perspective and instructor insights
Duignan, P. (2014) Authenticity in educational leadership: History, ideal reality. Leading & Managing, 21(1),
Northouse, P. G. (2016). Leadership: Theory and practice (7th edition). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

6. Research Questions
RQ1: How do college students identify authentic instructors?
RQ2: How do authentic college instructors view themselves?

7. Methodology - Participants
Participants – Convenience Sampling
Five college students: all female
Undergraduate/graduate
Varied majors, one university
Aged 20-25, various ethnicities
Four college instructors: 3 female, 1 male
Ph.Ds
Communications, multiple universities
Aged 42-60, various ethnicities

8. Methodology - Approach
Qualitative Approach
In-Depth Interviews
Different open-ended questions for each group
Recorded minute interviews
100+ pages transcribed text
Meyers-Briggs Type Indicator
70 closed-ended questions

9. Methodology - Analysis
Began during interviews and transcription
32+ hours transcribing time
Each transcription read multiple times
Looked for emerging themes, sub-themes
Identified rich, descriptive text

10. Thematic Analysis Student Themes Instructor Theme
Students identified as authentic instructors who:
Shared common interests
Exhibited interest in them
Behaved with self- confidence
Strong Self-Concept

11. Student Vignette Common Interest
“She will pick at your brain, saying, you said this to me. She asks so many follow-up questions to make sure you understand what you just said, and what’s going through your brain. I like people to challenge me, so I think that’s something we might have in common.” -Nicole, 22

12. Student Vignette - Personality
“Her energy, her passion for seeing qualities in others and bringing them out, I love seeing that, and bringing that out in other people myself.” -Elle, 22

13. Student Vignette Instructor Self-Confidence
“They had a good foundation of who they were. It wasn’t a challenge for them to portray that in the classroom. They were just themselves. They were very secure in their personalities and in their teaching.” -Alaina, 24

14. Instructor Vignette – Strong Self-Concept
“I recognize that students don’t always accept or believe that they’re being treated fairly. Often students want to be the exception. I try to work very hard at being consistent.” -Dr. N, 59

15. Instructor Vignette – Strong Self-Concept
“One of my greatest strengths is that I think I’m present to my students. I work hard to be. I will physically think of myself as breathing in what they say.” -Dr. W, 53

16. Discussion
Study findings on instructor insights reinforce authentic leadership theory research (Northouse, 2013)
Instructors are self-aware, utilize moral perspective, balanced processing, and relational transparency
Study findings provide new insights on how students identify authentic instructors
Northouse, P. G. (2016). Leadership: Theory and practice (7th edition). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

17. Limitations and Future Research
Two Midwestern universities
Group of participants small
Participant diversity limited
Instructors all communications teachers
Researcher bias
Future Research
Exploring student authenticity as they become instructors

18. References
Avolio, B.J., Gardner, W. L., Walumba, F. O., Luthans, F. & May, D. R. (2004). Unlocking the mask: A look at the process by which authentic leaders impact follower attitudes and behavior. The Leadership Quarterly, 15,
Avolio, B. J., Walumba, F. O., & Weber, T. J. (2009). Leadership: Current theories, research, and future directions. Annual Review of Psychology, 60, doi: /annurev.psych
Cerne, M., Dimovski, V., Maric, M., Penger, S., & Skerlavaj, M. (2013). Congruence of leaders self-perceptions and follower perceptions of authentic leadership: Understanding what authentic leadership is and how it enhances employee satisfaction. Australian Journal of Management, 39(3),
Northouse, P. G. (2016). Leadership: Theory and practice (7th edition). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

19. Questions?