Abstract 1642 How do they know we care? Teaching and Motivating Gen Z Students

Research on effective instruction has consistently shown that student perceptions of faculty as caring has a positive impact on student motivation, student learning, and student persistence (Burke et al. 2022; Meyers 2009; Walker and Gleaves 2016). Although an extensive body of research on pedagogy and caring now exists, the vast majority of these studies focus on students in primary and secondary schools. Very little research has been conducted on college students' experiences and perceptions of professor attitudes, despite growing interest in student success throughout higher education (Zembylas 2017). Increasingly, student enrollment, persistence, and graduation are central priorities at institutions across the country, and many institutions invest significantly in practices to encourage student retention. Despite these efforts, little has been done to examine the instructional dynamics and how they may contribute to students' willingness to persist. As we work to engage, retain, and graduate an increasingly diverse student body, we must attend to the power of instruction and how that is impacting students' motivation and success. This study directly examines a diverse group of Generation Z college students' understanding of whether and how their professors care about them and the ways that perception influences their commitment to their learning and degree pursuit. In-depth interviews with a sample of college students about their instructors demonstrate the power of faculty caring and the specific factors prompting students to conclude that their professors in fact "care." The results of this study show that believing a professor cares about their success strongly impacts student motivation and learning. More significantly, this research reveals that student assessments of faculty care are primarily rooted in pedagogical techniques used by the professor. When faculty use evidence-based teaching practices, students are more likely to perceive them as caring and in turn to increase their commitment to the class. By directly examining college student perceptions of faculty caring, this project fills a gap in the existing student success literature and contributes to our understanding of specific ways to enhance student motivation and persistence. This analysis connects existing research literature on effective college instruction, the power of faculty care, and characteristics of Generation Z students to argue that pedagogical strategies should be at the center of our student success agendas.