Objective The present study investigates student perceptions as an indicator of teaching quality in lower secondary classrooms. It draws on survey data from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden, targeting the students’ evaluations of instructional practices used in Language Arts, The aim of the paper is both to compare patterns of prevalent instructional practices between countries, and to explore validity aspects of the student responses as an indicator of teaching quality. Theoretical Framework Several studies emphasize the benefits of using student evaluations when studying teaching quality. Research show that students are able to distinguish between teachers and between levels of quality of teaching (Ferguson, 2010; Worrell & Kuterbach, 2001). Some studies indicate that student surveys can be as reliable as, for example, observation protocols, and may provide more information than both achievement scores and observation protocols (Kane & Staiger, 2012). Methods and Data sources In the present study, we employ the Tripod Survey (Ferguson, 2010) to investigate students´ evaluation of teaching quality in Nordic lower secondary classrooms. We ask to what degree students are able to discriminate between different aspects of instruction, and to what degree student survey data can be used for professional teacher development purposes. We also investigate dimensional properties of the survey instrument. The Tripod survey contains 38 items, relating to seven domains: Care, Control, Clarify, Challenge, Captivate, Confer and Consolidate. (Ferguson, 2010).The dataset contains respondents from Denmark (n=579), Finland (n=136), Iceland (n=581), Norway (n=1955), and Sweden (n=1535) in their first year of lower secondary school. Descriptive statistics include frequencies and means on both item and construct (domain) level, as well as reliability measures. The analyses focus on the relative weight placed on different instructional factors in the three countries, including gender differences, correlations between items and constructs, and factor properties. Results The response patterns in the five countries largely converge, although a few significant differences appear. In general, students in all Nordic countries score high on «Care» and «Control», whereas several items particularly within «Confer» were rated low. Only small or no gender differences were detected. Significance The study contributes significant knowledge of students’ experience of teaching quality in Nordic LA classrooms at lower secondary level. In the presentation, we discuss cross-country estimates of the frequency and the assessment of different learning-promoting activities. We also discuss the validity and appropriateness of the seven domains targeted by the Tripod Survey.

Ferguson, R. F. (2010). Student perceptions of teaching effectiveness. Discussion brief. Cambridge, MA: National Center for Teacher Effectiveness and the Achievement Gap Initiative. Retrieved from http://www.gse.harvard.edu/ncte/news/Using_Student_Perceptions_Ferguson.pdf. Kane, T. J., & Staiger, D. O. (2012). Gathering feedback for teachers: Combining high-quality observations with student surveys and achievement gains. Policy and practice brief prepared for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Worrell, F. C., & Kuterbach, L. D. (2001). The use of student ratings of teacher behaviors with academically talented high school students. Journal of Secondary Gifted Education, 12(4), 236–147.