Student Ratings of Instruction and Student Achievement: A Meta-analysis of Multisection Validity Studies

TLDR

The study synthesizes research on the relationship between student ratings of instruction and student achievement. Meta‑analytic methodology was applied to 41 independent validity studies covering 68 multisection courses, aggregating data on student ratings and achievement. The meta‑analysis found moderate overall correlations (.43–.47) between student ratings and achievement, stronger for specific dimensions such as Skill and Structure, larger for full‑time faculty when grades were known, and confirmed student ratings as valid measures of teaching effectiveness.

Abstract

The present study used meta-analytic methodology to synthesize research on the relationship between student ratings of instruction and student achievement. The data for the meta-analysis came from 41 independent validity studies reporting on 68 separate multisection courses relating student ratings to student achievement. The average correlation between an overall instructor rating and student achievement was .43; the average correlation between an overall course rating and student achievement was .47. While large effect sizes were also found for more specific rating dimensions such as Skill and Structure, other dimensions showed more modest relationships with student achievement. A hierarchical multiple regression analysis showed that rating/achievement correlations were larger for full-time faculty when students knew their final grades before rating instructors and when an external evaluator graded students’ achievement tests. The results of the meta-analysis provide strong support for the validity of student ratings as measures of teaching effectiveness.