An investigation of selected variables relative to the manner in which a population of junior college students evaluate their teachers

The purpose of this study was to investigate some selected variables which might be relative to the manner in which community junior college students evaluate the effectiveness of their teachers. Answers were sought to the following questions: Is there a relationship between the grade which a student makes and his evaluation of his teacher? Do students perceive the effectiveness of their teachers differently relative to their classification? Are there differential ratings according to the sex of the student? Are there differential ratings according to the sex of the teacher? Is the age of the student related in any way to student ratings of teachers? Do students rate teachers differently relative to the teaching experience of the teacher? Do teachers of certain subjects tend to get higher or lower ratings than teachers of other subjects? Is the level of course difficulty related to student evaluations of teachers? Are various teacher qualities considered equally in student perceptions of teacher effectiveness? It was believed that if these questions could be answered, such knowledge would enhance the use of student ratings as a method of evaluating and improving teaching. The subjects used in this study were all Lee College students enrolled during the spring of 1967. These students were asked to rate their teachers and to respond to a questionnaire designed to elicit information from students--information which was deemed necessary in attempting to answer the above proposed questions. The Purdue Rating Scale of Instruction was the instrument used to elicit student evaluations of teachers. Thirty teachers of various subjects were rated. There was a total number of 1,447 student ratings of teachers: 871 ratings by males, 570 ratings by females, and six ratings on which students failed to indicate their sex. [...]