Does the Attitude Similarity of College Professors and Their Students Produce “Bias” in Course Evaluations?

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between student/teacher attitude similarity and teacher rating form (TRF) scores. Students (N = 345) completed a 24-item attitude scale, once for themselves and once for their instructors, and a 28-item TRF. The results indicated that TRF variance explained by total similarity was reduced by almost half when teacher effects were removed. Similarity of attitudes relevant to higher education was related to teacher ratings; similarity of irrelevant attitudes was not. The component scores (own attitudes, perceived attitudes) accounted for more TRF variability than assumed similarity. Of the component scores, only perceived attitudes accounted for a significant amount of TRF variance independent of other effects. We conclude that the unique variance explained by student/teacher attitude similarity is of minimum importance when evaluations are used to make gross distinctions (e.g., poor, acceptable, outstanding) among instructors.