Document Type : Research Article (Quantitative)

Authors

1 M.A. in Curriculum, Department of Education, Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman, Kerman, Iran

2 Associate Professor, Department of Education, Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman, Kerman, Iran

3 Assistant Professor, Department of Education, Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman, Kerman, Iran

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of the present study was to examine the faculty members' lived experience of faculty-student interaction strategies in the academic environments.
Methodology: The research method was phenomenology in which the faculty members' perceptions of interaction with students were examined. The statistical population of study consisted of 81 faculty members of the Faculties of Science and Physics of Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman during the 2018-2019 academic year. By purposeful sampling and theoretical saturation procedure, 18 individuals were selected as the sample. Interview questions were prepared through in-depth research on the subject of faculty-student interactionand the interviews were semi-structured. The three-step coding method including open, axial, and selective codingwas used for data analysis.
Results: The findings showed that the conditions for the formation of the student-student interaction included the contextual and enhancing factors such as student perception of the subject, holding of debugging hours, motivation in the faculty and student, and reducing factors such as the nature of course theory, the student's low academic level, high volume of practical work, limited time, and lack of self-confidence. The results also showed that student engagement strategies and methods were included general, conditioned, and studentinteraction strategies. In addition, the consequences of adopting faculty-student interaction strategies also includedstudent-centered outcomes such as scientific, personality, social, occupational, as well as faculty-based outcomes such as gaining experience, updating faculty’s information and knowledge, inner satisfaction, and feedback was provided to identify strengths and weaknesses. 
Conclusion: The results have important implications for higher education curriculum planners in order to improve the areas of faculty-student interaction. Accordingly, it is necessary to use interactive content with a practical and collaborative nature, and teaching methods based on different interactive strategies, and planning to provide more student access to the faculty through out-of-class activities and provide more opportunities for students to communicate with the faculty members on a more personal level.

Keywords

Abdollah-Pour H, Soltani A, Esmi K. (2016). Faculty-student interactions based on the faculty members’ educational behaviors and professional practices. Journal of Iranian Higher Education, 9(3): 133-152.
Bahador H, Faraji Armaki A, Ghorbani R, Dehghani E. (2014). Effective factors on communication between teacher and student medical students of basic sciences level view. Educ Strategy Med Sci., 6(4): 195-200.
Choi B K, Kim M S. (2021). The student–faculty interaction beyond the formal curriculum in South Korea. Higher Education Quarterly, 75(1): 35-50.
Cole D. (2011). Debunking anti-intellectualism: An examination of African American college students’ intellectual self-concepts. The Review of Higher Education, 34(2): 259–282.
Corbin J, Strauss A. (2015). Basics of qualitative research: Techniques and procedures for developing grounded theory (4th Ed.). Sage.
Cotten S R, & Wilson B. (2006). Student–faculty interactions: Dynamics and determinants. Higher Education, 51(4): 487-519.
Cox B E, McIntosh K L, Terenzini P T, et al. (2010). Pedagogical signals of faculty approachability: Factors shaping faculty–student interaction outside the classroom. Research in Higher Education, 51(8): 767-788.
Cox B E. (2011). A developmental typology of faculty-student interaction outside the classroom. New Directions for Institutional Research, 2011(S1): 49–66.
Grantham A, Robinson E E, Chapman D. (2015). “That Truly Meant a Lot to Me”: A Qualitative Examination of Meaningful Faculty-Student Interactions. College Teaching, 63(3): 125-132.
Hagenauer G, Volet S E. (2014). Teacher–student relationship at university: An important yet under-researched field. Oxford Reviw of Education, 40(3): 370–388.
Hoffman E M. (2014). Faculty and student relationships: Context matters. College Teaching, 62(1): 13-19.
Kim Y K, Lundberg C A. (2016). A Structural model of the relationship between student–faculty interaction and cognitive skills development among college students. Research in Higher Education, 57(3): 288-309.
Kim Y K, Sax L J. (2014). The Effects of Student- Faculty Interaction on Academic Self-Consept: Does Academic Major Matter? Res High Educ, 55(8): 780-809.
Komarraju M, Musulkin S, Bhattackarya G. (2010). Role of student-faculty interactions in developing college students’ academic self-concept, motivation, and achievement. Journal of College Student Development, 51(3): 332–42.
Lindblom‐Ylänne, S, Trigwell K, Nevgi A, Ashwin P. (2006). How approaches to teaching are affected by discipline and teaching context. Studies in Higher Education, 31(3): 285-298.
Mendez J M, Mendez J P. (2016). Student inferences based on facial appearance. Higher Education, 71(1): 1-19.
Pascarella E T, Terenzini P T. (2005). How college affects students: A third decade of research (Vol. 2). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Powers S R, Myers K K. (2017). Vocational anticipatory socialization: College students’ reports of encouraging/discouraging sources and messages. Journal of Career Development, 44(5): 409–424.
Riggers-Piehl T, Sax L J. (2018). Encouraging the spirit: The role of student-faculty interactions in college students’ meaning-making and spiritual quest. Journal of College and Character, 19(2): 101-119.
Roberts K A. (2014). Student – faculty interaction in the first year of College: Exploring the effects of policy on student engagement. Unpublished Masters’ Thesis, Florida State University.
Rostami-Nasab H, Soltani A, Fazilat-Pour M. (2019). Faculty-student interaction and its relationship with development of students’ cognitive skills. Studies of Education and Learning, 11(2): 1-20.
Soltani A, Boostani D, Golestani S. (2020). Exploring the strategies of faculty-student interactions: A grounded theory study in Iranian academic context. Learning, Culture and Social Interaction, 26: 1-13.
Thiele M. (2016). Resource or obstacle? Classed reports of student–faculty relations. The Sociological Quarterly, 57(2): 333-355.
Trolian T L, Jach E A, Archibald G. C. (2021). Shaping Students’ Career Attitudes toward Professional Success: Examining the Role of Student-Faculty Interactions. Innovative Higher Education, 46 (2): 111-131.  
Umbach P D, Wawrzynski M R. (2005). Faculty do matter: The role of college faculty in student learning and engagement. Research in Higher Education, 46(2): 153–184.