Reliability and Factor Structure of a Student Survey of Teacher Effectiveness

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Abstract

Student surveys are increasingly being used for teacher evaluation. Are they reliable and do they distinguish discrete teaching practices? We address these questions using a student survey in over 140 school districts. Cronbach’s Alpha estimates suggest the student survey is reliable. For elementary students, bifactor confirmatory factor analysis suggest student responses clearly distinguish discrete teaching practices (e.g., critical thinking, teacher-student relationship), confirming our theorized factor structure. Multilevel exploratory factor analysis at both student and teacher levels indicate that teaching practices cluster, with an “instructional support” factor that is distinct from “emotional support.” The full paper will extend results to secondary students and include more teaching practices, as well as updated results from AY 2016-17.

Authors

• Sara Bernice Grajeda, University of Delaware

• Christi Crosby Bergin, University of Missouri

• Eli Andrew Jones, University of Missouri - Columbia

• Chia-Lin Tsai, University of Missouri