| Abstract: | Students' reports of their learning anddevelopment play an important role in research andassessment in higher education. Assessment researchfrequently asks students questions about gains madeduring college to identify dimensions of gains andthen examines relationships between college experiencesand gains. A growing body of research suggests thatcorrelations between ratings of gains and college experiences may be an artifact of a constanterror of the halo. The present research examines whetherhalo error underlies students' self reports of gains,the significance of the halo error, and the effect of halo error on relationships between collegeexperiences and educational outcomes. Results confirmthat halo error may be an important component instudents' ratings of their learning and development. Moreover, halo error may obscure relationshipsbetween college experiences and educationaloutcomes. |
