Professor McCabe Publishes New Research on Syllabus Language

In December 2025, Professor of Psychology Dr. Jennifer McCabe and Goucher alum co-authors Belle St. Jean, Jessica DeKoven, Mariah Lees, and Vanessa Cisse published an article in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Psychology journal entitled, “Getting warmer: Effects of syllabus language on student perceptions of instructor and course.” Portions of this work were previously presented at the Eastern Psychological Association (EPA) conference in 2023 and 2024.

The first two studies in the article examined how changes to syllabus tone – generally making it warmer or colder (Study 1), or using different narrative perspectives (e.g., “we” vs. “I/you” vs. “instructor/student”) (Study 2a) – impacted student perceptions. Study 1 showed that a warmer-tones syllabus was perceived more positively regarding the instructor (e.g., approachability, motivation, competence, care) and course (e.g., learning, help-seeking, enjoyment, motivation, belonging), along with lower course difficulty. Study 2a suggested that the more inclusive perspectives of “we” and “I/you” resulted in perceptions of the instructor being more motivated and caring more for student learning and well-being. Study 2b carried out a content analysis of narrative perspectives in existing psychology syllabi, finding that the dominant perspective was “I/you.”

The authors conclude, “Students may start class with a more positive outlook after reading a syllabus with warmer, more inclusive language.”