ERIC Number: EJ1106153
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2016
Pages: 19
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0260-2938
EISSN: N/A
Whose Feedback? A Multilevel Analysis of Student Completion of End-of-Term Teaching Evaluations
Macfadyen, Leah P.; Dawson, Shane; Prest, Stewart; Gaševic, Dragan
Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, v41 n6 p821-839 2016
Student evaluation of teaching (SET) is now common practice across higher education, with the results used for both course improvement and quality assurance purposes. While much research has examined the validity of SETs for measuring teaching quality, few studies have investigated the factors that influence student participation in the SET process. This study aimed to address this deficit through the analysis of an SET respondent pool at a large Canadian research-intensive university. The findings were largely consistent with available research (showing influence of student gender, age, specialisation area, and final grade on SET completion). However, the study also identified additional influential course-specific factors such as term of study, course year level, and course type as statistically significant. Collectively, such findings point to substantively significant patterns of bias in the characteristics of the respondent pool. Further research is needed to specify and quantify the impact (if any) on SET scores. We conclude, however, by recommending that such bias does not invalidate SET implementation, but instead should be embraced and reported within standard institutional practice, allowing better understanding of feedback received, and driving future efforts at recruiting student respondents.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Feedback (Response), Student Evaluation of Teacher Performance, Course Evaluation, Hierarchical Linear Modeling, Regression (Statistics), Response Rates (Questionnaires), College Students, College Faculty, Academic Achievement, Grades (Scholastic), Correlation, Gender Differences, Majors (Students), Age
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Canada
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A