Methodological Explanations for the Modest Effects of Feedback From Student Ratings

Abstract

A recently completed review and statistical integration of the quantitative research on the feedback college teachers get from student ratings (L'Hommedieu, Menges, & Brinko, 1988a) yielded an overall effect size of.342. This indicates a persistent positive effect for feedback, but this small difference has modest practical significance. Why has this intuitively appealing approach to instructional improvement been so unimpressive in empirical tests? Using Cook and Campbell's (1979) threats-to-validity framework, we examine methodological and conceptual issues in the areas of internal validity, statistical conclusion validity, external validity, and construct validity. Most of these threats are likely to attenuate the measured effects of student ratings feedback-effects that actually may be stronger than existing research shows.