Factorial Validity of Student Ratings of Instruction

This study tested the Systematic Distortion Hypothesis by examining the factorial validity of student ratings of university teaching. Factorial validity is defined as the degree to which covariance among judged traits resembles the actual or true covariation of observable behaviors underlying these traits. Although many studies have examined the factorial validity of ratings, results are inconsistent. The present study used a more complete methodology to address some of the limitations of previous studies. Student ratings of teaching and measurements of actual teaching behaviors were obtained for 32 instructors. Student ratings were compared to frequency counts of actual teaching behaviors obtained from videotape and to students’ similarity judgments of teacher characteristics. It was found, first, that the structure of student ratings showed a moderately strong relation to the structure of actual behaviors, and a somewhat stronger relation to the structure of conceptual associations; and second, that the effects of systematic distortion were more pronounced for low-inference student ratings than for high-inference ratings.     

Instructor Reputation and Student Ratings of Instruction

The purpose of this study was to examine the association between instructor reputation, as perceived by students, and student evaluations of the instructor and course. A total of 754 students from 39 classes participated in the study. Based on what students claimed to have heard about the instructor prior to enrolling in the course, they were classified into one of three groups: positive reputation, no information, and negative reputation. Using these groupings, two analyses were performed. In the first, mean overall ratings for the instructor and course were calculated and presented by class. In the second, both instructor and course ratings were modeled using multilevel regression. Results show large mean differences in both instructor and course ratings between the positive and negative reputation groups. More specifically, students who heard positive information regarding the instructor's reputation rated both the instructor and course higher than students who heard negative information about the instructor.     

A Multilevel Perspective on Student Ratings of Instruction: Lessons from the Chinese Experience

With the rise of democratic institutions and the propagation of consumerism in Asia, the teacher-student relationship has undergone fundamental changes. As a response to the demand for public accountability, course evaluation has been recently adopted as routine in universities in Hong Kong, placing Hong Kong in the forefront of this trend in Asia. Few studies in the educational literature examine whether such a practice applies to cultural settings outside the West, particularly in Asia where the teacher-student relationship is often paternalistic. Using a large dataset collected in Hong Kong, this study examines how Chinese students behave in the course evaluation process. Results suggest that Chinese students, like their Western counterparts, are able to distinguish separate dimensions of teaching quality. Due to their cultural background, however, they pay more attention in their evaluations to the personal qualities of their teachers.     

Generalizability of Multidimensional Student Ratings of University Instruction Across Courses and Teachers

Course quality is multifaceted, being determined by instructor, students, and external conditions. Consequently, any attempt at measurement should reflect this diversity, so that stable evaluations can be made that reflect both personal (instructor) and situational (student and external conditions) variables. This study extends previous research by examining the stability of both dimensions across different courses, student populations, and universities. In addition, the sample (N = 692 courses) was drawn from 6 traditional and technical German universities that have a different ethos of student interaction with academic staff than those in many other Western countries. Using the Heidelberg Inventory, it was found that instructor variables were reliable across courses given by the same instructor, but student scales or background variables were less consistent across courses in which the content was identical. It was concluded that the instrument was both reliable and valid for student evaluations of both teaching performance and course quality within a European context.     

Regular Feedback from Student Ratings of Instruction: Do College Teachers Improve their Ratings in the Long Run?

The authors examined whether feedback from student ratings of instruction not augmented with consultation helps college teachers to improve their student ratings on a long-term basis. The study reported was conducted in an institution where no previous teaching-effectiveness evaluations had taken place. At the end of each of four consecutive semesters, student ratings were assessed and teachers were provided with feedback. Data from 3122 questionnaires evaluating 12 teachers were analyzed using polynomial and piecewise random coefficient models. Results revealed that student ratings increased from the no-feedback baseline semester to the second semester and then gradually decreased from the second to the fourth semester, although feedback was provided after each semester. The findings suggest that student ratings not augmented with consultation are far less effective than typically assumed when considered from a long-term perspective.     

Student Team Reading and Writing: A Cooperative Learning Approach to Middle School Literacy Instruction

The goal of this project was to create a middle school literacy program that was more responsive to the needs and abilities of early adolescents in urban middle schools. The program components included: (a) cooperative learning classroom processes; (b) a literature anthology for high interest reading material; (c) explicit instruction in reading comprehension; (e) integrated reading, writing, and language arts instruction; and (f) a writing process approach to language arts. The study was conducted in 5 schools in a large urban school district, 2 implementing Student Team Reading and Writing (STRW) and 3 comparison schools. The results indicated that the students in STRW had significantly higher achievement in reading vocabulary, reading comprehension, and language expression. The results suggest that a multifaceted approach to restructuring can effectively improve the achievement of students in urban middle schools.     

The Effects of a Microcomputer Laboratory Approach to Physical Science Instruction on Student Motivation

No abstract available for this article.     

任务教学法的理论探究

以任务为基础的学习和教学方法,在二语习得和教学界引起越来越多的关注。本文讨论了任务的特征,任务教学法的主要特点,并着重探讨任务教学法的理论基础。指出此法与交际法的联系,以及语言加工理论和语言生成机制两种认知理论对任务教学法的贡献。     

Student Peer Teaching: An Innovative Approach to Instruction in Science and Engineering Education

This paper reports the results of a pilot-study in a senior paper science and engineering class, of an innovative instructional method designed to foster student problem-solving and in-depth learning of material, namely, student peer teaching. We review related literature focusing on active learning methods in science and engineering education, describe the method of student peer teaching used in this pilot-study, present the evaluation method and results, and discuss implications for further development of this method of instruction. Results suggest that students were able to effectively teach significant curricular content. In addition, the method of student peer teaching served important purposes in helping students develop in-depth understanding and expertise in the issues related to their teaching session, as well as teaching and presentation skills which will be useful in their professional practice. However, students expressed concern that, while achieving in-depth learning of the content of their teaching session, they tended to focus on the content area of their teaching session at the expense of other content areas and may not have learned as well from other students as from the Professor. We recommend a modified structure for student peer teaching which incorporates cooperative learning methods; increased Professor involvement in class sessions, in the role of the mentor; and modifications in performance evaluation methods to ensure ongoing student monitoring of progress and self-assessment. The method of student peer teaching, in science and engineering education, combined with cooperative learning methods, is viewed as a major extension of cooperative learning methods, used in the service of preparation for professional careers.     

Student Ratings of Televised Classroom Demonstrations

Abstract

Student attitude toward classroom observation experience in an educational psychology course were explored as a function of whether observations were made in person, by closed circuit television, or kinescope recordings. Two hundred fifty-seven college juniors were randomly grouped to observe the same classroom demonstrations by different means or to receive a control lecture.

At the conclusion of the course mean subject ratings of the special observation (or lecture) experience were significantly different for the four treatment groups. Highest ratings were given by students who observed In person, next highest were given by “live” television observers, next highest by kinescope observers, and lowest by those who received the control lecture. No significant differences were observed between groups on ratings of the course of which the observations were a part.     

Evaluating the Evaluations: A Factor Analysis of Student Ratings

Student evaluation of instruction and instructor performance in higher education are being accorded an increasingly prominent role in decisions concerned with faculty promotion and tenure, as well as with advisement on teaching strategies. In this context a number of factor analyses have been imposed upon student rating-instruments in order to facilitate meaningful interpretation of student judgments. The present paper reports the resul ts of a factor analysis of the rating scales used by graduate students enrolled in counselor education programs at Western Michigan University to evaluate perceived quality of instruction. A principal components factor analysis yielded three interpretable factors that were labeled Responsiveness-Rapport, Evaluation Process, and Instructional Merit. Implications of the factor structure for counselor educators are discussed.     

A Systematic Approach to Instruction: Innovative and Sensitive

An approach of this nature is by definition innovative if only because of its prior absence. In order for this kind of instruction to take root and survive, a high degree of sensitivity must be demonstrated by the architect and implementors of the instruction.     

Disciplinary Differences in Student Ratings of Teaching Quality

Comparisons of large samples of course and teaching evaluation questionnaire data show consistent disciplinary differences. The current study examined the disciplinary differences in a theoretical model positing the impact of the perceived nature of teaching and learning environment on the development of generic capabilities by testing of (1) whether a common model of good teaching operated across disciplines and (2) the extent of deployment of teaching variables and their impact on learning outcomes. The sample consisted of 3,305 first and third year Chinese undergraduates of a university in Hong Kong, divided into four broad disciplinary groupings. Multiple-group structural equation modelling analysis showed configural invariance of the hypothesised model, suggesting a common model of good teaching across disciplines; and significant differences in the magnitude of structural paths and latent mean values across the four disciplinary groups were obtained reflecting differences between disciplines in the extent to which elements within the teaching and learning environment were brought into play. Possible reasons in terms of the epistemological nature of the disciplines were given to explain for the disciplinary variations.     

教育怎能"学生说了算"--从学生评教看师生关系的合理定位

学生评教的滥用,致使“学生说了算”竟成为时髦,师生关系遂变得复杂、畸形。可是教育的本质决定了师生关系的最基本方面只能是教师教,学生学。说学生是主体,那是说学生是学的主体,是自我教育、自我体验、自我管理、自我约束的主体,而不是说学生是教的主体。教学须调动学生的能动性,考虑学生的兴趣,都不意味着学生是教学过程的主体。学生的意见具有一定的参考价值,但是,教育不能由学生说了算。     

Comparison of Teacher and Student Ratings of Microcomputer Software

No abstract available for this article.     

Principles for Analyzing and Communicating Student Ratings of Teaching

Students' rating of teaching is widely used by university administrators to manage and evaluate teaching in China today. However, it is worthwhile to discuss and rethink carefully how to use this tool. Fifty students majoring in seven-year clinical medicine were asked to rate the class teaching of an integrated course for which the teaching reform involved compressed total class hours. The rating choices were very good, good, medium, and bad. A routine, simple statistical analysis was performed. Most students approved the integrated course and rated it as good. Constructive suggestions on how to improve teaching quality in the class revealed a standard normal distribution. Some students displayed the phenomenon of "comment fatigue." Several ways to use students' rating of teaching most efficiently were recommended to improve class teaching quality.     

国外知名高校学生评教工作述评与启示——以四所名校为例

以美国、英国和加拿大的四所知名高校。为例，述评其国外学生评教。工作的情况与特点。根据这些情况和特点，从学生评教的内容、指标体系、方式和结果等四方面提出了对我国学生评教工作的建议，并总结构建了一个共同体式的评教体系，以期促进我国评教工作的完善。