Student Perceptions of Teacher Evaluations: A Proposed Model

Abstract

Students hold multifaceted perceptions of end-of-course teacher evaluations may guide their response behaviors when completing these evaluative measures. Research shows that student perceptions typically vary from those held by faculty and administration. Although research on student evaluations of teachers (SETs) is prevalent in the literature, research focusing on student perceptions is limited; SET research in the academic area of recreation is even more scant. Researchers have reported that students frequently do not understand the purpose of the evaluations and may not always provide the most accurate data. A model of the interaction of student variables that are reflective of the complexity of their interactions with evaluations can contribute to greater understanding of the process. Data was collected from 523 students majoring in recreation using a 52 item theoretically based survey. Path analysis showed a model of the interactions between five latent variables representative of student perceptions of teacher evaluations. Through the creation of a model that combines multiple variables, this investigation has enhanced understanding of student perceptions and behaviors associated with the teacher evaluation process. Results indicate that the measured variables can be attributed to five latent variables predictive of student perceptions of teacher evaluations. The hypothesized model predicts how these variables interact to contribute to student perceptions of teacher evaluations.