| Abstract: | Previous research in college settings on the correlation between teacher ratings and student achievement has produced inconsistent results. Discrepancies may be due to study-to-study differences in teacher and/or student characteristics. 237 university students were tested to investigate a student-based explanation of the discrepancies. Lecturer quality and student perception of lecturer's experience (a student characteristic) were manipulated in a 2?×?2 design in which achievement and ratings were measured. Major findings indicate that (a) the ratings/achievement relationship varied with students' belief about lecturer experience, supporting a student-based explanation of the discrepancies that supplements a previous teacher-based explanation; and (b) lecturer quality affected ratings much more than achievement, threatening the field use of ratings when predictions are made without regression equations about a teacher's impact on student achievement. (25 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) |
