Virginia Educational Research Association: Examining the Validity and Reliability of a Student Teaching Evaluation Instrument

• In Event: The Consortium of State and Regional Educational Research Associations: Distinguished Paper Session 4

Abstract

This article examines the student teaching evaluation instrument used in a teacher preparation program at a mid-size public university. To determine the instrument’s validity and reliability, we used an exploratory factor analysis and structural equation modeling approach (ESEM) to study three years of responses from cooperating teachers, university supervisors, and student teachers. Findings confirm the validity and reliability of the instrument and indicate that the thirty competencies of the instrument comprise an invariant structure of four domains: onstage teaching, planning, assessment, and professionalism. Implications include possible revision of the instrument, the need for rater training, and the role of alignment.

Authors

• Sarah Hylton, The College of William & Mary

• Thomas Joseph Ward, College of William and Mary

• Christopher R. Gareis, College of William and Mary

• Jacob David Joseph, College of William and Mary