Two Important Predictors of Quality Instruction: Teacher Ratings and Student Outcomes: Correspondence and Interpretation

Abstract

This quantitative study determined the coefficient of correlation between teacher ratings and students' grades in the final exam of an elementary statistics course GSTA 140 and their reliabilities (overall consistency of a measure) at Effat University in Jeddah Saudi Arabia. The study was conducted with a cluster convenience sample of 558 students, registered in 22 GSTA 140 courses over a period of 3 years (fall 2014 to fall 2017). To avoid the effect of variability of different teaching styles on ratings, only those courses were collected, which are taught by the same instructor. The study, designed and inferences obtained, is based on Pearson product-moment Statistical correlation test, Normality test and Empirical rule. The results showed that there is a very weak positive correlation between teacher ratings and student achievement, however; their independent standard deviations (a measure of variation) are approximately equal. Normality tests showed that the data set for the students' grades is well modeled by a normal distribution as compared to the data set of teacher ratings. Results also indicated that the application of the empirical rule is the optimum approach to interpret the reliability of the data of teacher ratings surveys and students' final grades and hence prediction can be made on the bases of these values. The findings of this study could prove useful to university, regional, and kingdom, implementing similar formal teacher evaluation framework as Effat University.