Teaching effectiveness and examination performance in introductory psychology

A questionnaire was administered to first year students to obtain their opinions on the teaching effectiveness of their instructors and the courses involved in introductory psychology. for two of the three instructors there was evidence that ratings of teaching effectiveness and value of course were more favourable the more the instructor was perceived as emphasizing general principles and critical and creative thinking as opposed to specific factual information. Various attributes of instruction (e.g., use of class time, stimulation of interest, organization of class procedure, enthusiasm for subject matter) predicted positively to teaching effectiveness and value of course for all three instructors as expected. The more an instructor and his course were evaluated favourably by students the more likely it was that they performed well on his essay questions at the end of the year (p < .05). This relationship was very weak, however, and for the most part relationships involving teaching effectiveness and value of course with final examination performance (objective test, essay examination) were insignificant. Discussion focused upon the use of questionnaires to obtain feedback about courses and teaching, and their use as a research tool to help answer wider educational questions. 1970 Australian Psychological Society