The cognitive interview method was applied to evaluate survey questions translated and adapted from a US-based college student survey instrument. This paper draws data from cognitive interviews with 45 undergraduate students in China and explores the different meanings they attribute to the term "college teacher." Students understood college teacher as course instructor, academic advisor, class headteacher and counselor, student organization supervisor, and student service personnel. Students developed the understanding through a socialization process of student-teacher interaction. This paper also discusses the importance of using cognitive interviewing to improve questionnaire design, implications for research on student-teacher relationships, and suggestions on fostering student-teacher interaction in Chinese higher education institutions.