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This paper explores the factors that determine the student evaluation of teachers. Unlike many previous studies, the effect of potential biases on global ratings is examined in the context of teaching behaviour (that should in fact--in contrast to the potential biases--have an influence on global ratings). Our research takes into account that biases like the students' interest in the subject or their liking for the teacher may be a result of good teaching behaviour and may not be considered a mere bias of student ratings. Furthermore, it also concentrates on the students' attitudes towards evaluating their teachers. The empirical results are based on qualitative interviews with 40 students at Austrian commercial colleges and on a quantitative survey of 2,121 students who were asked to evaluate their Accounting teachers. Structural equation models show that the students' global ratings of teachers mainly depend on their teaching behaviour. However, global ratings are also affected by the students' attitudes towards evaluating their teachers, as well as by the students' liking for their teacher and their interest in the subject of Accounting.
Greimel-Fuhrmann et al. (Sun,) studied this question.