Lawrence A. Roche

The Effects of Gifted and Talented Programs on Academic Self-Concept: The Big Fish Strikes Again

Participation in gifted and talented (G&T) programs is predicted to have negative effects on academic—but not nonacademic—self-concept on the basis of social comparison theory and Marsh’s big-fish-little-pond effect (BFLPE). In two studies, students in G&T programs experienced systematic declines in three components of academic self-concept (Reading, Math, School) over time and in relation to matched comparison students in regular mixed ability classrooms, but not in four components of nonacademic self-concept (Physical, Appearance, Peer Relations, Parent Relations). In both studies, these results were consistent over gender, age, and initial ability level. Selection criteria, program strategies, and advice to parents are proposed to counteract this BFLPE and to maximize the benefits associated with G&T programs.

The Use of Students’ Evaluations and an Individually Structured Intervention to Enhance University Teaching Effectiveness

The present investigation evaluates the effectiveness of students’ evaluations of teaching effectiveness (SETs) as a means for enhancing university teaching. We emphasize the multidimensionality of SETs, an Australian version of the Students’ Evaluations of Educational Quality (Marsh, 1987) instrument (ASEEQ), and Wilson’s (1986) feedback/consultation intervention. All teachers (N = 92) completed self-evaluation surveys and were evaluated by students at the middle of Semester 1 and at the ends of Semesters 1 and 2. Three randomly assigned groups received the feedback/consultation intervention at midterm of Semester 1 (MT), at the end of Semester 1 (ET), or received no intervention (control). Each MT and ET teacher ‘‘targeted” specific ASEEQ dimensions that were the focus of his or her individually structured intervention. The ratings for all groups improved over time, but only ratings for the ET group improved significantly more than those in the control group. For both ET and MT groups, targeted dimensions improved more than nontargeted dimensions. The results suggest that SET feedback coupled with consultation is an effective means to improve teaching effectiveness, and the study provides one model for feedback/consultation.

Effects of Grading Leniency and Low Workload on Students' Evaluations of Teaching: Popular Myth, Bias, Validity, or Innocent Bystanders?

Two studies debunk popular myths that student evaluations of teaching (SETs) are substantially biased by low workload and grading leniency. A workload bias is untenable because the workload-SET relation is positive. The small grade-SET relation (.20 for overall ratings) has many well-supported explanations that do not involve bias. Some SET factors (e.g., Organization, Enthusiasm) are unrelated to grades, and the highest relation is with Learning (.30), implying valid teaching effects rather than bias. Structural equation models confirmed that perceived learning and prior characteristics (course level, prior subject interest) account for much of the grade-SET relation. The relation is also nonlinear, so that high grades (sometimes misused as a leniency measure) are unrelated to SETs. Contrary to dire predictions based on bias claims, Workload, expected grades, and their relations with SETs were stable over 12 years.

Cultural Perspectives on School Motivation: The Relevance and Application of Goal Theory

The aim of this research was to determine whether the goals held by students from diverse cultural backgrounds differ and to determine the relationship of these goals to school motivation and achievement. Participants completed a self-report instrument (the Inventory of School Motivation) based on goal theory. Confirmatory factor analyses were conducted to establish the adequacy of the instrument for use across the selected groups. Group differences were analyzed through the application of ANOVA. Finally, multiple regression analyses were conducted to examine the relationship between the goals held by the participants and school achievement criteria.

Predicting Self-Esteem from Perceptions of Actual and Ideal Ratings of Body Fatness: Is There Only One Ideal “Supermodel”?

Silhouette ratings of actual and ideal body fat (N = 258 high school students) were related to 4 self-concept scales (Body Fat, Physical Appearance, General Physical, Esteem) and objective body composition measures in order to test predictions from actual-ideal discrepancy models. Actual-ideal discrepancy scores were more strongly related to self-concept than actual scores alone, thus supporting the traditional discrepancy model. However, multiple regression analyses demonstrated that more sophisticated actual-ideal discrepancy models that considered discrepancies in either direction (feeling too fat or too thin) did significantly better. Because the traditional discrepancy model is a special case of this more general discrepancy model, the more general model should have broad applicability. Important aspects of this task were (a) that discrepancies were evaluated along a continuum in which the ideal was not one of the endpoints of the continuum, (b) that there was reasonable variation in ideal ratings, and (c) that positive and negative discrepancies were reported.

Teaching Self-Concept in Higher Education

Positive self-concepts are important and desirable in a broad range of contexts, particularly in educational settings. However, surprisingly little attention has been paid to the nature, measurement and practical implications of university teachers’ self-concepts — their self-perceptions of their own teaching effectiveness. This chapter integrates extensive research literatures in self-concept and in students’ evaluations of teaching effectiveness (SETs) in order to develop a multidimensional university teaching self-concept instrument (Teacher’s Evaluation of Educational Quality; TEEQ) and evaluate its psychometric properties (factor structure, reliability, validity). A multitrait-multimethod analysis of relations between multiple dimensions of teaching self-concept and corresponding student rating dimensions provides good support for the construct validity of the teaching self-concept responses. Consistent with self-concept research, we hypothesized that feedback from significant others (students) influences self-concept. In support of this hypothesis, teacher self-concepts were moderately correlated with SETs (median r = .20) for teachers who had not previously received student feedback, whereas the agreement was substantially higher (median r = .40) for teachers who had previously received SET feedback. Implications for further research on teacher reflection and for improving teaching effectiveness in higher education are discussed.