Student Ratings of Teacher Effectiveness: Validity Studies

Within the past four decades student opinions of teaching have been gathered as a source of data on teaching effectiveness. In connection with studies of the interaction of teaching methods and student motives in determining achievement, the Michigan researchers have had continuing interest in the use of student ratings of teacher effectiveness (e.g., McKeachie, 1957; McKeachie and Solomon, 1958; Carney and McKeachie, 1966). Certain stable dimensions of teaching as rated by students (Isaacson, et al., 1964) and personality characteristics of teachers related to effectiveness (Isaacson, et al., 1963) have been established. More recently we have been concerned with determining the validity of the ratings in terms of criteria of student achievement.