Definition validity in research and measurement

¶ … Validity Discussion

The validity of a teaching definition

In the text Developing a comprehensive faculty evaluation system: A guide to designing, building, and operating large-scale faculty evaluation systems R.A. Arreola (2007) states: "teaching, in a global, general sense, may be defined as the process of engaging in specifically designed interactions with the student that facilitate, promote, and result in student learning" (Arreola, 2007, p. 19). Arreola's definition of teaching stresses the 'planned' or 'designed' nature of teaching in an educational setting. Unlike spontaneous play, for example, where a student may learn from someone else by accident, or learn on his or her own initiative, a teacher has a certain lesson plan that he or she strives to meet over the course of a given school day, and tries to ensure that students graduate from the grade with certain discernable and measurable skills.

Arreola's definition also underlines the fact that learning is not a passive activity. The teacher strives to create a classroom environment where student learning is facilitated, not simply imparted by an instructor -- in other words, the teacher acts as a guide, and is not merely someone who forces the student to adhere to certain guidelines. Also, a teacher hopes that a student will be eventually spurred on to learn through his or her own desire, once the student acquires certain basic skills. This is conveyed through the verb 'promote,' in other words students are given a positive sense about learning and the teacher tries to ensure that every aspect of the classroom, even the bulletin boards and the playtime activities, create a learning environment.

The emphasis on 'results' underlines the need for classroom interactions to meet certain standards and achieve certain goals, like the need for students to acquire very specific basic skills. Also, it underlines the fact that students will be judged by the results they show during a performance (like on a test or a paper). This is especially important given the greater role and importance of standardized exams in assessments of students and schools.