Matching the background of demonstrators with those of their students: does it make a difference?

Routine end-of-semester student satisfaction surveys revealed assistant laboratory demonstrators in first year classes rated more highly than their more experienced principal demonstrator counterparts. The rating appeared to correlate with assistant demonstrators’ backgrounds. This finding prompted a project involving academics and students from the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) and the University of Cape Town (UCT) focusing on students’ and demonstrators’ experiences in first year physics laboratories. In particular, the project aims to examine the extent to which the congruence of the background, attitudes and interests of students and demonstrators impacts upon student engagement and achievement. Through the examination we are intent on gaining insights into approaches demonstrators can adopt to maximise student engagement and that will inform the induction and professional development of demonstrators. We report on the background to, and context of, the project, why it was undertaken, approaches adopted to explore student and demonstrator experiences and some preliminary findings.

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