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Validity research on student evaluations of teaching effectiveness: Individual student observations versus class mean observations

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Abstract

Among the several substantive methodological issues in statistical research on possible relationships between student evaluations of teaching effectiveness and student achievement is the issue of whether it is preferable to use individual students or class means as observations. The problem is illuminated in this paper through Monte Carlo simulation experiments employing a general model which may be used to represent validity or invalidity of student evaluations of teaching through appropriate specification of the numerical parameters of the model. The results suggest the superiority of class means, because statistics based on class mean observations do better at manifesting the true condition under both cases: validity and invalidity.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Western Illinois University, USA

    James A. Yunker

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  1. James A. Yunker
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Yunker, J.A. Validity research on student evaluations of teaching effectiveness: Individual student observations versus class mean observations. Res High Educ 19, 363–379 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00976513

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00976513

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