Student Evaluation of Teacher as a Measure of Teacher Behavior and Teacher Impact on Students

Abstract

Student Evaluation of Teaching (SET) scores, assigned by 1657 sixth-grade students to their 53 teachers, were compared with adult observer assessments of teacher behavior and with several student characteristics. In a hetween-class, hierarchical multiple regression, teacher behavior (curvilinearly) explained 32% of SET variance; peerrated student coping skill, another 12%; attitude toward school and teacher, 10%; and self-esteem, 2% (R = .75). No further variance was explained by student achievement, self- rated coping, general attitude, or SES. Within-class, student coping also positively affected individual SET scores. The relationship of SET to teacher behavior was not modified by student coping, but it was somewhat influenced by self-esteem.