"A Closer Look at the Relationship between Grades and Teacher Evaluation: The Role of Grade Knowledge"

Abstract

Economic behavior theory was used to frame an investigation of the role of grade knowledge in student ratings of professors. A two-group experiment was conducted in which one group had midterm exams and thus received grade feedback before completing student evaluations of teaching (SET), while the other group did not have a midterm exam and thus had no specific grade knowledge before completing the SET. Both groups had a final exam and received exam feedback after the SET was administered. Results revealed that only in the midterm condition were grades significantly associated with SET. That is, SET is more strongly related to grades when students have had clear grade feedback prior to SET administration, implying that both students and professors engage in economic behavior and that a reciprocal relationship exists between students and professors. Moreover, two implied debatable issues on this topic are briefly discussed in the conclusion. (A20; A22; C30)