ABSTRACT
What do the evaluations actually measure?
A number of different hypotheses have been advanced to explain what SET is measuring. Almost every aspect of the evaluations have produced contradictory research findings. Instead of assuming certain results are correct and others are wrong, it would be more advantageous to advance a hypothesis suggesting SET measures what it has actually been found to measure. The chapter hypothesizes the following: 1) SET is composed of an assessment of student perceptions, 2) the scale produced by these perceptions can best be described as a “likability” scale, and 3) the SET process is not contaminated by intervening variables; it is a measure of the average perceptions of how well an instructor or class is liked by any given group of students. These perceptions may or may not be related to any institutional or theoretical concept of effective teaching. The hypothesis is shown in this chapter to resolve the major inconsistencies found in the SET literature, including the paradox of learning. A number of counter arguments are presented and resolved by the hypothesis.
