ARE TEACHING EVALUATION QUESTIONNAIRES VALID? ASSESSING THE EVIDENCE

LARRY D. BARNETT

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DOI: 10.2190/8A5L-E8HC-PC5L-FJ6U

Abstract

Because the results of student-completed teaching-evaluation questionnaires often play a role in personnel decisions made by institutions of higher education, the article reviews the principal quantitative studies that social scientists have conducted on the validity of the questionnaires. The methodological flaws in and limitations of these studies are considered, and the potential side effects of the questionnaires are discussed. The article suggests that, because the questionnaires have not been shown to measure teaching quality accurately, use of the questionnaires in promotion, retention, and tenure decisions potentially violates the employment contract of faculty members.

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