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Characteristics of academic areas and students' evaluation of instruction

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Abstract

This study examines the relationship between characteristics of academic areas and students' evaluation of instruction. Based on Biglan's model of subject matter and relevant studies of the role of instruction, a weak partial order model for classifying academic fields and predicting their relative ranking on instructional evaluation was tested. The findings of the study support the weak partial order model for all three criteria of instructional evaluation that are used in this research. Moreover, the major discriminant facet in this study is the knowledge base of the academic program (i.e., hard versus soft sciences). Based on the results of this research, an adapted model for understanding the role of academic areas in predicting instructional evaluation is proposed. The implications of this study are discussed and elaborated.

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Neumann, Y., Neumann, L. Characteristics of academic areas and students' evaluation of instruction. Res High Educ 19, 323–334 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00976510

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