Students' Evaluations of University Teaching: A China Perspective

Abstract Abstract This study investigates the applicability of two American instruments, designed to assess students' evaluations of teaching effectiveness, to university students in China. Based on the responses of 367 Chinese undergraduates, the results indicated that the scales had high internal consistency reliability coefficients and the items were generally considered appropriate and clearly distinguished between good and poor lecturers. Moreover, every item was deemed important by at least some of the students. Further analysis lent support to the convergent and discriminant validities of the scales hypothesised to measure similar or dissimilar components of teaching effectiveness. However, this analysis and factor analytic findings did indicate more overlap among aspects of Learning/Value, Organisation/Clarity, Enthusiasm, and Breadth of Coverage, than that found in Western studies. Hence, this study only provided partial support for the cross‐cultural validity of the two instruments and the multidimensional model of teaching effectiveness on which they were based.