A case study of group processes and student evaluation of teaching

Abstract

This paper documents a case study undertaken to understand the effect of group processes on student evaluation of teaching (SET). The study used interviews to investigate the experiences of students in a cohort model Master of Science in Accountancy degree program and how those experiences influenced SET. The cohort served as an extreme example in which group processes played out intensely, allowing the researchers better to examine them. The results showed that the participants' common experience led to frequent discussion about various aspects of the classes and the program. A common topic of discussion was instructor performance. This discussion about instructors, in turn, appeared to affect SET. It also appeared that a mismatching of expectations and realized student-instructor relationships also affected SET. Page 3 of 55At one institution, a number of parties involved with a Master of Science in Accountancy (MSA) degree program, including instructors, the accounting department chair, and the program director, perceived a tendency for MSA class SET results to be at the low extreme. The MSA was unique in that it operated on the closed cohort basis. A closed cohort is a set of students entering a program and pursuing a degree together, and in which all classes are on a fixed schedule and limited to cohort members. This study sought to understand how students in the MSA engaged with SET. Specifically, it used the MSA as a qualitative case study to examine their interactions and understandings of the SET process. Interviews of MSA alumni provided a rich, descriptive account of the group processes. While the cohort setting provided an extreme example in which to study these processes, which may occur across other educational models. ContributionThere exists an extensive body of literature on SET, mostly quantitative studies on the validity and reliability of SET instruments and possible biases. This study examined students' processes with respect to SET, and by documenting these processes through interviews 'allows the data to speak.' One specific contribution is to provide a deeper understanding of how students' thoughts and emotions, and group dynamics affect SET. This will help instructors and administrators better to interpret SET results and manage their individual classes and overall programs. Concerning certain findings, we suggest responses based on sound teaching theory. The study also provides a basis for more nuanced analysis of SET results by those making promotion and tenure decisions, in which positions and even careers may be at stake.