Perceived quality and methodology in graduate department ratings: Sociology, political science, and economics

摘要: Graduate department ratings help to shape the power and privilege of a graduate at its home university, as well with respect other departments in discipline. Ideally, such would reflect perceived quality department. Yet frequent critiques suggest that fall far short this ideal. The authors analyzed subjective three related disciplines-sociology, political science, economics-and from two rating sources: National Research Council U.S. News World Report. They hypothesized major components ratings: (1) departmental quality, (2) systematic error owing method data collection, (3) random measurement error. Using structural equation modeling, they found 20 percent 30 variation derives error, most rest comes smallest component is also variables, citations per capita, size, public/private status, geographic location, influence through their impact on and/or errors enter ratings.