The study of credibility first began with Aristotle, and continues to be studied extensively today. Teacher credibility is viewed as one of the most important elements of teacher effectiveness. Teacher credibility is vital to learning, whether in a school or university setting. In an update of the groundbreaking study of what improves pupils’ results, Professor John Hattie, director of the Melbourne Education Research Institute revealed a new factor, i.e. teacher credibility, which was not included in the earlier version of the study. “The key is the students’ perception that teachers have credibility in enhancing their learning,” says Professor John Hattie. “Students are very perceptive about knowing which teachers can make a difference to their learning. And teachers who command this credibility are most likely to make the difference. “The effects on achievement are high and the reason is that teachers who constantly show students they care, and know about the difference and impact they are having on them, are ‘visible’ and welcomed.” Professor Hattie’s latest research, published in his new book Visible Learning for Teachers, suggests that teacher credibility is one of the most important factors in all of learning.
The first person credited with making the idea popular was Dr James McCroskey, an expert in communication studies who carried out research into credibility in the early 1980s when he was chair of the department of communication studies at West Virginia