Section Selection in Multi-Section Courses: Implications for the Validation and Use of Teacher Rating Forms

Researchers know little about determiners of section selection in multi-section college courses. Studies on teacher evaluation and on the validity of teacher rating forms have often assumed section to section equivalence of students assigned by customary registration procedures. To investigate the section selection process, a questionnaire containing items on personal history, reasons for section selection, and sources of information about the instructor was administered to 1,188 undergraduate students in multi-section first year and advanced psychology courses. Major findings were: (1) students significantly differed across sections on biographical variables and on section selection reasons, (2) time at which class was scheduled (classtime) and teacher's reputation were the primary reasons for section choice, (3) teacher's reputation was less important than classtime for first year students, but comparable to classtime for advanced students, and (4) reports from other students and published ratings were, respectively, the first and second most frequent source of instructor reputation information.