Study: Students Earn Better Grades When TAs Are Same Race Or Ethnicity
SACRAMENTO (CBS Sacramento)-- Students earn higher grades when teaching assistants are of the same race or ethnicity as the students, according to a new study.
University of California and New Economic School researchers say while many studies have analyzed the role of faculty member race, that few have examined the race of teaching assistants, who make up 15 percent of the teaching workforce in higher education, as reported by Inside Higher Ed.
The study, "TAs Like Me: Racial Interactions Between Graduate Teaching Assistants and Undergraduates," indicates that better grades are linked to teaching assistants of the same race or ethnicity as the students.
Researchers examined the link between grades and student and teaching assistant demographics in economic courses at a large and diverse university in California. The study worked with data in which TAs were assigned to groups of students post-enrollment, to avoid any "self-selection" issues. Additionally, researchers conducted audits of teaching assistant sessions.
The study found that students earn statistically significant higher grades when matched with the race of their teaching assistants. The link was consistent among racial and ethnic groups. Among the other findings were students being more likely to attend discussion sections and office hours for teaching assistants who were of the same race or ethnicity.
Researchers note that some of the improved academic performance could be related to student behavior or TA behavior. The same-race impact was greatest in classes without multiple-choice testing where tests were available to TAs in advance.
"We interpret this result as evidence of 'teaching to the exam,'" the authors write, "where TAs divulge information that is pertinent to the class' exams if given the opportunity. Students who are more likely to interact with the TAs by attending the TAs' discussion sections and office hours are the beneficiaries of teaching to the test."
The study authors hope the findings will encourage others to examine the role of teaching assistants in relation to student success.
"Understanding how TA race influences student outcomes is particularly important given recent trends in the U.S., where the fraction of nonwhite undergraduate and graduate students has nearly tripled over the past 40 years. Prominent racial gaps, in turn, lead to persistent income inequality across racial groups."
