The Validity of Self-Assessments of Competences in Academic Course Evaluation

The validity of self-assessments of competences may depend on the competence level of the respondents. Sixty-six psychology students evaluated the module methods with a test in which they assessed the competences they acquired in higher education. The scales of knowledge processing and personal competence showed significant correlations with the grade on the final oral exam. However, the expected correlation between the grade and specific competences (convergent validity) was only observed in a sample that excluded students with the lowest grades from the analysis. The results indicate that the self-assessments of less competent students may be more miscalibrated than those of more competent students; thus, the use of mean ratings may be problematic for the comparison of academic courses.

19.10.2012 | Anette Hiemisch (Greifswald)