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Visible Learning™
Visible Learning MetaX™
Version 1.4 – Updated February 2026

Feedback (from student re quality)

Overview

  • Influence: Feedback (from student re quality)
  • Domain: Teaching Strategies
  • Sub-Domain: Feedback
  • Potential to Accelerate Student Achievement: Potential to accelerate
  • Influence Definition: Student evaluations of the quality of teachers.

Evidence

  • Number of meta-analyses: 11
  • Number of studies: 269
  • Number of students: 1,698
  • Number of effects: 398
  • Weighted mean effect size: 0.49
  • Robustness index: 3

Meta-Analyses

Meta-Analyses
Journal Title Author Article Name Year Published Variable Number of Studies Number of Students Number of Effects Effect Size
Research in Higher Education Cohen Effectiveness of student-rating feedback for improving college instruction: A meta-analysis of findings 1980 Feedback from student ratings 8 NA 8 0.25
Review of Educational Research Cohen Student Ratings of Instruction and Student Achievement: A Meta-Analysis of Multisection Validity Studies 1981 Student rating of teacher 19 NA 19 0.68
Review of Educational Research Cohen Student Ratings of Instruction and Student Achievement: A Meta-Analysis of Multisection Validity Studies 1981 Student rating of teacher 41 NA 68 0.48
Journal of Educational Psychology L'Hommedieu, Menges, & Brinko Methodological explanations for the modest effects of feedback from student ratings 1990 Feedback from college student ratings 28 1,698 28 0.34
Journal of Higher Education Dowell & Neal A selective review of the validity of student ratings of teaching 1982 Student rating of teacher 6 NA 6 0.40
Journal of Marketing Education Clayson Student evaluations of teaching: Are they related to what students learn? A meta-analysis and review of the literature 2009 Student rating of teacher 17 NA 42 0.66
Studies in Educational Evaluation Uttl, White, & Gonzalez Meta-analysis of faculty's teaching effectiveness: Student evaluation of teaching ratings and student learning are not related 2017 Student rating of learning 51 NA 97 0.47
ERIC Menges & Brinko Effects of Student Evaluation Feedback: A Meta-Analysis of Higher Education Research 1986 Student evaluation as feedback 27 NA 31 0.44
Conference paper Cohen An Updated Expanded Meta-Analysis of Multisection Student Rating Validity Studies 1986 Student rating of teacher 47 NA 74 0.44
Review of Educational Research Penny & Coe Effectiveness of consultation on student ratings feedback: A meta-analysis 2004 Consultation after student feedback 11 NA 11 0.69
Research in Higher Education McCallum A meta-analysis of course evaluation data and its use in the tenure decision 1984 Teacher rating and achievement 14 NA 14 0.68
TOTAL/AVERAGE 269 1,698 398 0.50
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