Theses and Dissertations

Date of Award

1-1-2016

Document Type

Dissertation - NSU Access Only

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice

Advisor

Jennifer Reeves

Keywords

higher education; impression management; instructor attire; student satisfaction

Abstract

An Examination of the Effects of Instructor Attire on College Student Satisfaction. Nathan Francis, 2016: Applied Dissertation, Nova Southeastern University, Abraham S. Fischler College of Education. Keywords: instructor attire, student satisfaction, higher education, impression management This study was conducted to determine how instructor attire impacts student satisfaction within institutions of higher education located in Florida. The current research on instructor attire and how it influences student satisfaction is limited. Additionally, the existing literature is conflicting. This study was designed to address the issue of how students believe instructor attire impacts student satisfaction, which is defined as instructor’s professionalism, the quality of teaching, program quality, and institutional image. The purpose of this study was to further build upon established research and to provide both administration and faculty with a clearer understanding of how the attire they chose to wear can impact students’ perceptions of their educational experience and the institutional image. The theoretical framework employed in this study was the Impression Management theory. Participants consisted of students enrolled at a higher education institution on its main campus and two satellite college campus locations. Participants took the Instructor Attire Survey that had them rank images of instructors appearing in casual, business casual, and professional attire for each survey question. The results from the study indicated that instructors in casual attire was ranked lowest by participants on most survey question responses. Instructors appearing in business casual attire generated higher rankings than casual, while professional attire was commonly ranked highest among attire options for instructors. The findings gathered from this study could be used to assist higher education institutions in establishing a perceived positive institutional image from students and increase student satisfaction by implementing more specific attire guidelines and standards for faculty.

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