Abstract

Graduate student instructors (GSIs) are trusted to teach first-year writing (FYW) courses across U.S. campuses, yet many still wonder how their undergraduate students actually perceive their authority, especially when they're new to teaching or sharing a classroom with full-time faculty. While previous research has explored how GSIs view their own authority and how institutional structures shape their roles, we know far less about what students of these GSIs think. This study aims to fill that gap. Building on Reed and Ostenson's work in Big Comp, I conducted a mixed-methods study in Fall 2024 to hear directly from FYW students about how they define authority, which instructor behaviors and qualities help them see someone as an authority figure, and whether they currently perceive their GSIs as such. Drawing on Dannels's communication-based framework and Hofer et al.'s information literacy theory, this study shows that students assess their instructors much like they assess credible sources: by evaluating clarity, consistency, relevance, and trustworthiness. Students especially valued instructors who were approachable, transparent, and invested in their growth. These insights offer practical implications for writing program administrators preparing GSIs to thrive in the classroom and may reassure current GSIs that they already possess--or can easily develop--the qualities students associate with authority. Ultimately, this research reframes instructional authority as a co-constructed, student-centered dynamic, emphasizing that relational pedagogy and rhetorical awareness are key to building credibility in the writing classroom.

Degree

College and Department

Humanities; English

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