A Feminist Examination of Studies into Student Evaluations of Teaching: Moving Our Voices to the Center

Abstract

This paper will explore the impact of gender on student evaluations of teaching and their study. Feminist studies into student evaluations of teaching have shown that there are biases at work in the evaluation process, which, though inevitable, if not acknowledged or accounted for can have a negative impact on women in the academy. In spite of this important feminist research, many other, more traditional researchers claim that there are no biases affecting the evaluations. Thus, feminist researchers must not only continue their investigation of the ways gender-based biases affect evaluations, but they must be rhetorical in making themselves heard by administrators and educators, so that postsecondary institutions can take the lead in illuminating potentially hegemonic practices and fight the oppression that results from them.