Disciplinary Culture and Effective Teaching: A Cultural Anthropological Study

Taking into account disciplinary culture as a presumption, this study aims to uncover the criteria of effective teaching from the vantage point of different higher education students. Thus, a cultural anthropological approach was adopted and Becher's classification of disciplines into civil and rural was employed for selecting the participants. From the statistical population, 14 students were purposively selected from disciplines of philosophy cultural studies, history, sociology, and psychology (as representatives of rural disciplines), and 9 from disciplines of mechanical engineering, petroleum engineering, and civil engineering (as representatives of civil engineering) through networked selection as the sampling method. Methodologically, the study could be considered as interpretive educational ethnography. The research data were analyzed based on Peter Woods 6 level framework, so it continued up to level 2 (classifying and categorizing). To establish credibility, two strategies were employed including member check and peer debriefing. The necessary data were gathered by semi structured and informal interviews and represented in a thematic style. According to the findings, effective teaching in rural disciplines was characterized by features like emphasis on classic works, human relations, grassroots language, and understanding. On the other side, effective teaching in civil disciplines is valued when it takes into account features as being up-to-date, emphasis on content, professional language, and applicability.