Anticipatory socialization of undergraduate college teaching norms by entering graduate teaching assistants

Because most college and university faculty have considerable autonomy in the conduct of their teaching, norms that guide appropriate and inappropriate behavior for this role are needed. Recently, a set of four norms—interpersonal disregard, particularistic grading, moral turpitude, and inadequate planning—for undergraduate teaching have been delineated. This research addresses the question of whether entering graduate teaching assistants accurately anticipate these norms prior to beginning graduate study. The findings indicate that both faculty and beginning teaching assistants share subscription to the four norms of undergraduate teaching. Questions about the role of the graduate socialization process in the learning of teaching norms are raised and future research directions are suggested. Implications for practice are also proposed.