THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN STUDENT EVALUATIONS AND TEACHER QUALITY IN HIGH SCHOOL IN SAUDI ARABIA: ITEM RESPONSE THEORY ANALYSIS AND MULTILEVEL MODELING

This study examines the multilevel factors (i.e., student’s achievement, Arabic teacher quality measure [ATQM] scores, and rural and urban school) that influence student ratings of teachers (SRT) in Saudi Arabia among third grade high school students (i.e., equivalent to 12th graders in the United States). Rasch Analysis, Hierarchical Linear Modeling, and Analysis of Covariance were used to investigate the following three main objectives: (a) developing and adapting an ATQM, (b) developing a measure of SRT, and (c) examining the relationship between student-, teacher-, and school-level factors on student ratings of teacher on the SRT. Specific to the first objective, a psychometrically sound measure of teacher quality was developed. The results retained a 24-question measure focusing on four domains: (a) Teacher Planning and Preparation, (b) Classroom Environment, (c) Teacher Instruction, and (d) Teacher Professionalism. The second objective, a 25-question SRT measure was examined. The third objective found that a significant relationship between teacher quality scores and SRT scores, with higher teacher quality related to lower student ratings of teacher scores. Additionally significant differences were found between urban schools and rural schools on student ratings of teacher scores, with rural schools having higher SRT scores. Future research should continue to define the network of relationships between pupil-, teacher-, and school-level factors and SRT, and maintain the measures revision and validation process of both the ATQM and the SRT. The findings support administrative demands for more efficient ways to monitor teacher quality, and in turn, meet educational standards and improve school outcomes.