Four studies evaluate the new Self Description Questionnaire II short-form (SDQII-S) that measures 11 dimensions of adolescent self-concept based on responses to 51 of the original 102 SDQII items and demonstrate new statistical strategies to operationalize guidelines for short-form evaluation proposed by G. T. Smith, D. M. McCarthy, and K. G.…

Students' evaluations of teaching were validated against both cognitive and affective criteria of effective instruction. End-of-term ratings correlated more highly with the criteria than did the midterm ratings. Both cognitive and affective criteria were correlated with different components of the student ratings, but not with each other.…

Findings and research designs used to study university students' evaluations of teaching effectiveness are reviewed. A construct validation approach which recognizes the multidimensionality of both effective teaching and students' evaluations is recommended for further research. (BS)

University students' evaluations of instructional effectiveness and faculty self-evaluations were collected. The effect of class-size depended upon the specific factor being evaluated. Small and large classes were generally rated more favorably. Relationships between class size and faculty self-evaluations were similar to students' evaluations.…

Nominations made by graduating seniors for most and least outstanding instructors were compared with university-wide instructional evaluations adopted the following year. The findings offer support for the validity of students' evaluations because the distinction between instructors nominated most outstanding and least outstanding by graduating…

Students' course evaluations were related to 16 background characteristics for 511 undergraduate courses and 221 instructors. Each separate variable explained less than five percent of the variance. The four most influential background variables were: prior subject interest, expected grades, workload/difficulty, and percent enrolled for general…

Using a fifth-grade sample, the revised Self Description Questionnaire was investigated. Confirmatory factor analysis showed the factor structure invariant across the respondants' gender. Sex difference in self-concept areas and academic achievement were explored. A new internal/external frame of reference model was proposed. (Author/BS)

Recent research (1978-1982) on student evaluations of teaching is reviewed, including: influence of background variables pertaining to the student, the teacher, and the learning environment; the dimensions of the teaching being evaluated; the validity of students' evaluations; the "Doctor Fox" effect and its implications for validity; the…

Student evaluations of teacher effectiveness have been accepted by instructors as helpful indicators of performance, but their validity and use in tenure and promotion decisions has been questioned by faculty. Students and instructors in 207 social science courses completed evaluations of instructional effectiveness at the conclusion of the…

College instructors evaluted the quality of their own teaching and were evaluated by their students in 331 different courses. Student evaluations of teaching correlated with instructor self evaluations in courses taught by teaching assistants, in undergraduate courses taught by faculty, and in graduate level courses, demonstrating their validity…

To determine the relationship between 16 background variables and students' evaluations of instruction, a questionnaire was completed in 511 undergraduate courses at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles. Student variables, including grade point average, class size, expected grade, and prior subject interest, rarely explained 10% of…