The Effect of Accuracy of Instruction, Teacher Delivery, and Student Attentiveness on Musicians' Evaluation of Teacher Effectiveness

This study is an examination of whether accuracy and delivery of teacher instruction and student attentiveness would affect evaluative perceptions of teacher effectiveness. Participants were 168 musicians and were grouped according to experience level: (a) Grades 6-8, (b) Grades 9-12, (c) undergraduate, and (d) experienced teacher. Participants viewed and evaluated a videotape of eight teaching segments for teaching effectiveness. A two-way ANOVA with repeated measures indicated significant differences due to experience level and teaching segments. Results indicated that the secondary students rated a teacher giving inaccurate instruction relatively high when the teacher demonstrated high delivery and the class was attentive. Analysis of the descriptive data suggested that the four groups attended to the delivery of the teacher more than any other variable. Experienced teachers attended to accuracy of instruction more than did any other group, and middle schoolers attended to student attentiveness, or perceived classroom management skills of the teacher, more than did any other group.