Congruency of student evaluative information collected by three methods.

Abstract

The study investigated the structural corroboration of instructional evaluation information collected from one source (students) by three different methods: student responses to objective questionnaire items, written student comments to open-ended questions, and group interview results. Pearson product-moment correlations calculated between instructor and course ratings across 14 class sections based on each of the three data collection methods revealed a high degree of structural corroboration of overall teaching performance and course quality. Results indicate that the three types of evaluative information examined in the study presented a similar general impression of instructor quality.

Student Ratings: Validity, Utility, and Controversy

“…Researchers have carried out only a few studies on the agreement between student ratings and the comments that students freely make about their teachers. The findings of the available studies are so clear, however, that they are worth noting (Braskamp, Ory, and Pieper, 1981;Ory, Braskamp, and Pieper, 1980). The evidence shows that ratings correlate strongly with comments that students make about their teachers both on questionnaires and in special interviews.…”

Students' evaluations of university teaching: Dimensionality, reliability, validity, potential baises, and utility.

“…For example, in a multisection validity study, Marsh and Overall (1980) found that sections who rated their teacher most highly were more likely to pursue further coursework in the area and to join the local computer club (the course was an introduction to computer programming). Ory, Braskamp, and Pieper (1980) found high correlations between student ratings and summative measures obtained from open-ended comments and a group interview technique, although the ratings proved to be the most cost effective procedure. asked lecturers to rate how well they enjoyed teaching relative to their other duties, such as research, committees, and so on.…”

A meta-validation model for assessing the score-validity of student teaching evaluations

“…Convergent validity is provided when STE scores correlate with scores from other instruments that measure the same construct. For example, student ratings have been found to be related positively to self-ratings (Blackburn and Clark 1975;Marsh et al 1979), peer ratings (Doyle and Crichton 1978;Feldman 1989;Ory et al 1980), observer ratings (Murray 1983), and alumni ratings (Centra 1974;Overall and Marsh 1980).…”