Teaching performance: determinants of the student assessment

• Published in: Academia (Consejo Latinoamericano de Escuelas de Administración) 2014-11, Vol.27 (3), p.402-418
• Main Authors: Rodríguez, Adriana Morales, Capelleras, Joan‐Lluís, Gimenez Garcia, Víctor M
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Accreditation; Business metrics; Class Size; Competitive advantage; Complexity theory; Customer services; Educational Quality; Employees; Higher education; Human Capital; Hypotheses; Influence; Job Performance; Learning; Marketing; Peer review; Performance Based Assessment; Quality of service; Student Evaluation; Student Evaluation of Teacher Performance; Students; Studies; Teacher Effectiveness; Teacher evaluations; Teachers; Teaching; Teaching Methods; University faculty; Variance analysis
• ISSN: 1012-8255; 2056-5127
• DOI: 10.1108/ARLA-11-2013-0177

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify the nature and factors that influence student evaluation of the teaching performance of university teachers by integrating two areas of research: services marketing and higher education. Design/methodology/approach A set of hypotheses were developed taking into consideration customer (student), employee (teacher) and service (course) characteristics. They were then tested using data from 952 courses for a three‐year period and employing different multivariate techniques. Findings Students basically evaluate the expertise, attitude and behavior of teachers. The results also indicate that this evaluation is a complex phenomenon that depends on factors related to teacher, student and course profiles. Research limitations/implications Given the nature of the data used here, future studies should extend the scope of research to other institutions, examine quality from an objective standpoint and include teachers’ perceptions and the outcomes of their research activity. Practical implications Based on the results of this paper, the authors recommend the following: to permit teachers to teach the same courses repeatedly, allowing them to consolidate their practice; to provide training in teaching techniques and ethics; to pay particular attention to those students who move to another degree program; and to maintain an appropriate class size. Originality/value This study integrates two areas of research and proposes a wide range of service quality determinants in the context of higher education, including several factors that had not been previously considered. Propósito Este trabajo identifica la naturaleza y los factores que influyen en las valoraciones que realizan los alumnos sobre el desempeño docente del profesorado universitario, integrando para ello dos áreas de investigación: marketing de servicios y educación superior. Diseño/Metodología/Enfoque Se desarrolla un conjunto de hipótesis considerando las características del cliente (alumno), el empleado (profesor) y el servicio (curso). Se contrastan con los datos de 952 cursos durante un período de tres años utilizando distintas técnicas multivariantes. Resultados Los alumnos evalúan principalmente la pericia así como la actitud y comportamiento del profesorado. Los resultados también indican que esta evaluación es un fenómeno complejo que depende de factores relacionados con el perfil del profesor, del alumno y del curso. Limitaciones de la investigación/Imp