Teacher’s Ink: Student’s Perceptions of Teachers with TattoosZachary Goldman, Gregory A. Cranmer, and Erik Neville

West Virginia University

Introduction•22% of females and 26% of male adults in the United

States have tattoos.1

• The increase in adults with tattoos reflects number of professors with tattoos.2

What effect do tattoos have on student perceptions of instruction?

Implications• Instructors must be aware of the negative effects that visible

tattoos may have. Despite what recent research suggests3, tattoo stigmas are still common.

• Future research should examine the construct of homophily.

Tattoo Types Offspring Passion

Memorial Military

Mantra Control

Findings• Instructors without tattoos are perceived as more

competent.

• Instructors without tattoos are perceived as more immediate.

•No significant differences regarding student motivation, affective learning, and cognitive learning.

References1 Laumann, A. E., & Derick, A. J. (2006). Tattoos and body piercings in the United States: A national data set. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 55, 413-421. 2 Colbert, R. (2008). Teacher candidate fashion, tattoos, and piercings: Finding balance and common sense. Childhood Education, 84, 158-159.3 Martin, B. A., & Dula, C. S. (2010). More than skin deep: Perceptions of, and stigma against tattoos. College Student Journal, 44, 200-206.

Methods• Participants were given one of six survey variations to

determine the effect of tattoos on perceptions of multiple communication constructs.

• Used a male instructor because research suggests males are more likely to have visible tattoos.

Hypotheses and Research QuestionsH1: Instructors without tattoos will be perceived as more competent, caring, and having more character than instructors with tattoos.

RQ1: What differences exist between instructors without tattoos and instructors with tattoos regarding student perceptions of instructor immediacy?

RQ2: What differences exist between instructors without tattoos and instructors with tattoos regarding student motivation, affective learning, and cognitive learning?