Affective Learning and Teacher Evaluation Measures

Abstract

The Affective Learning and Teacher Evaluation measures developed by J. C. McCroskey is a specialized 16-item instrument used primarily in instructional communication research. Its main objective is to accurately measure two distinct but related constructs: Affective Learning (AL) and Instructor Evaluation (IE). This scale evolved from earlier instruments in the 1970s that often inappropriately combined affect toward content and affect toward the instructor, leading to conceptual confusion. The current measures utilize four distinct bipolar sub-scales to ensure proper differentiation between student attitudes toward the course material and student attitudes toward the educator.

Keywords

Affective Learning, Teacher Evaluation, Instructional Communication, Student Affect, Affect toward Content, Affect toward Instructor, Psychometrics, J. C. McCroskey.

Authors

McCroskey, J. C.

Purpose

The primary purpose of this multi-faceted instrument is to provide researchers and educators with psychometrically sound measures capable of isolating specific dimensions of student affect within instructional settings. This is crucial for determining the unique impact of instructor communication behaviors on different learning outcomes.

The scale serves to rigorously separate genuine student interest and commitment to the course content (a component of Affective Learning) from their personal feelings toward the instructor (a component of Instructor Evaluation). This distinction allows for more precise analysis of teaching effectiveness and curriculum success without the confounding effects present in earlier, less differentiated measures.

Construct

The scale measures four distinct, yet combinable, dimensions of student affect, rooted in the established categories of learning recognized in Educational Psychology: Cognitive, Affective, and Psychomotor. This instrument focuses specifically on measuring outcomes within the affective domain.

The two main constructs measured are:

• Affective Learning (AL): This composite score is derived by combining the “Affect toward content” (items 1-4) sub-scale and the “Affect toward classes in this content” (items 5-8) sub-scale. It reflects the student’s disposition toward the subject matter and their behavioral intention regarding future engagement with the content area.
• Instructor Evaluation (IE): This composite score is derived by combining the “Affect toward instructor” (items 9-12) sub-scale and the “Affect toward taking classes with this instructor” (items 13-16) sub-scale. It reflects the student’s overall attitude toward the teacher and their willingness to enroll in future courses taught by that specific individual.

Validity

The instrument possesses excellent face validity, meaning the items are clearly and directly related to the constructs they are designed to measure, which facilitates straightforward interpretation by respondents and researchers.

Additionally, the measures demonstrate strong predictive validity. Studies utilizing these instruments consistently produce results that align with theoretical relationships linking instructor communication behaviors to specific affective outcomes. This established predictive ability underscores the instrument’s utility in forecasting relevant student attitudes and behaviors.

Reliability

The measures have consistently demonstrated very high internal consistency, or reliability, across a large body of academic studies. The individual four-item sub-measures yield strong results.

• Reliability estimates (Cronbach’s Alpha) for the individual “affect for” sub-measures generally range from .85 to well above .90.
• When combined into the 8-item composite measures—Affective Learning and Instructor Evaluation—the alpha reliability estimates are consistently reported at well above .90, indicating exceptional internal consistency for both primary constructs.

Factor Analysis

The current structure of the scale addresses a critical methodological issue identified in early instructional communication research concerning the inappropriate use of factor analysis. Early studies mistakenly factored all items (content affect, instructor affect, and behavioral intent) as a single measure of affect, thereby confusing general affect with the specific construct of Affective Learning.

The current instrument structure necessitates the separation of the four measures into two distinct, higher-order constructs (AL and IE). While the two content-related sub-scales can be combined to measure Affective Learning, and the two instructor-related sub-scales can be combined for Instructor Evaluation, the 16 items should never be aggregated or referenced as a single measure of Affective Learning, as Instructor Evaluation is recognized as a separate and important construct.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report attitude scale.

Format: 16 bipolar semantic differential items, utilizing a 7-point scale.

Language Available: Primarily English (as documented in key references).

Population Group: Students in academic or instructional settings.

Age Group: Typically college/university level (late adolescence through adulthood).

Population Details: Used extensively among students assessing course content and instructor performance in higher education settings, particularly in communication disciplines.

Test Methodology: Respondents indicate their feelings by circling a number (1 through 7) between opposing adjectives or phrases. Scoring involves reverse-coding specific items and summing the scores for the four sub-scales, which are then combined into the two primary constructs.

Keywords

Student Attitudes, Instructional Communication, Course Evaluation, Affective Learning, Teacher Behavior, Psychometrics, Communication Research, Affective Outcomes.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Information not provided in source.

Affiliation Email addresses: Information not provided in source.

Correspondence Address: Information not provided in source.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The foundational development and publication of these specific measures by McCroskey occurred in 1994. Information regarding current usage fees or formal permissions beyond standard academic research utilization is not detailed in the source content.

Reference’s

McCroskey, J. C. (1994). Assessment of affect toward communication and affect toward instruction in communication. In S Morreale & M. Brooks (Eds.), 1994 SCA summer conference proceedings and prepared remarks: Assessing college student competence in speech communication. Annandale, VA: Speech Communication Association.

Items of the Affective Learning and Teacher Evaluation measures

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

Directions: Please circle the number that best represents your feelings. The closer a number is to the item/adjective, the more you feel that way.

(Affect toward content measure)

I feel the class= content is:

(Affect toward classes in this content measure)

My likelihood of taking future courses in this content area is:

(Affect toward instructor measure)

Overall, the instructor I have in the class is:

(Affect toward taking classes with this instructor measure)

Where I to have the opportunity, my likelihood of taking future courses with this specific teacher would be:

SCORING:

To compute scores on these measures, complete the following steps:

Affect toward content:

Step 1. Add scores on items 1 and 3.

Step 2. Add scores on items 2 and 4.

Step 3. Compute total score: 16 + (total of step 1) – (total of step 2)

Affect toward classes in this content:

Step 1. Add scores on items 5 and 7.

Step 2. Add scores on items 6 and 8.

Step 3. Compute total scores: 16 + (total of step 1) – (total of step 2).

Affect toward instructor:

Step 1. Add scores on items 9 and 11.

Step 2. Add scores on items 10 and 12.

Step 3 Compute total scores: 16 + (total of step 1) – (total of step 2).

Affect toward taking classes with this instructor:

Step 1. Add scores on items 13 and 15.

Step 2. Add scores on items 14 and 16.

Step 3. Compute total scores: 16 + (total of step 1) – (total of step 2).

Scoring for Affective Learning and Instructor Evaluation:

Affective Learning = Affect toward content + Affect toward classes in this context.

Instructor Evaluation = Affect toward instructor + Affect toward taking classes with this instructor.