Validity and limitations of college student self-report data / Serge Herzog and Nicholas A. Bowman, editors.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Herzog, Serge.

Bowman, Nicholas A., 1979-

Series:

New directions for institutional research ; no. 150.

New directions for institutional research

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Educational evaluation--United States.

Educational evaluation.

Universities and colleges.

Evaluation.

United States.

Universities and colleges--United States--Evaluation.

Physical Description:

126 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm.

Place of Publication:

San Francisco : Jossey-Bass, [2011]

Summary:

Higher education administrators, institutional researchers (IR), and scholars rely heavily on the survey responses of college students, not least to meet mounting accountability pressures to document student learning and institutional effectiveness. However, research on the accuracy of students' self-reported learning, development, and experiences is quite limited. To address this critical issue, Validity and Limitations of College Student self-Report Data provides seven empirical studies that examine the validity, use, and interpretation of such data, with an emphasis on student self-reported gains. The chapters are written by leading scholars in the field of college student self-reports, and they provide IR practitioners several analytical frameworks to gauge the accuracy of student survey data. The cumulative findings from this volume suggest that self-reported gains exhibit some significant biases, and they often do not constitute an adequate proxy for longitudinal measures of learning and development. Still, student self-reports offer important subjective impressions about learning and affective development that may complement direct measures of outcomes, together yielding a more comprehensive picture of the college experience. Book jacket.

Contents:

Editors' notes / Serge Herzog, Nicholas A. Bowman

Examining systematic errors in predictors of college student self-reported gains / Nicholas A. Bowman

Gauging academic growth of bachelor degree recipients: longitudinal vs. self-reported gains in general education / Serge Herzog

Using college students' self-reported learning outcomes in scholarly research / Gary R. Pike

The tie that binds: The role of self-reported high school gains in self-reported college gains / Tricia A. Seifert, Ashley M. Asel

Measuring how college affects students: Social desirability and other potential biases in college student self-reported gains / Nicholas A. Bowman, Patrick L. Hill

The validity of student engagement survey questions: Can we accurately measure academic challenge? / Stephen R. Porter, Corey Rumann, Jason Pontius

Clearing the AIR about the use of self-reported gains in institutional research / Robert M. Gonyea, Angie Miller

Reconciling (seemingly) discrepant findings: Implications for practice and future research / Nicholas A. Bowman, Serge Herzog.

Notes:

"Summer 2011."

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781118134160

1118134168

OCLC:

739667982