DO UNDERGRADUATE PSYCHOLOGY STUDENTS EVALUATE AN OBLIGATORY LECTURE IN RESEARCH METHODS UNBIASED FROM OVERALL SATISFACTION WITH THEIR STUDIES?

Student evaluation of courses is common practice in academic psychology. This study tests whether overall study satisfaction at the beginning of the lecture predicts evaluation results of an obligatory lecture on research methods. Using structural equation modelling judgments from 131 undergraduates resulted in five interrelated scales. Judgments on teaching skills, teacher social competencies, and quality of course material were unrelated to overall satisfaction. Moreover, initial satisfaction was unrelated to the judgments whether the course has increased study motivation. Whether students reported the teacher had increased their interest in the topic, however, was strongly related to initial overall study satisfaction (γ = .46, p < .001). The lecture on research methods was less interesting to students who initially report lower overall satisfaction with their studies. Hence, initial study satisfaction should be assessed and considered in analysing evaluation data.