Constructs underlying student ratings of instruction in an introductory master's level educational research course were investigated in order to gain a better understanding of instructor behaviors that facilitate student success. During academic years 1990-91 and 1991-92, an institutionally developed scale was administered to students enrolled in master's level education courses at a metropolitan university in Tennessee. Students majored in education, counseling, and school psychology. A 17-item institutionally-developed 7-point Likert-type rating scale was used to elicit perceptions of the instructor and course characteristics thought to be related to instructional outcomes. Included among 1,597 student ratings were 144 from students who rated research methods classes. Independent principal components analyses followed by varimax rotations were conducted on ratings from those enrolled in research methods classes and those enrolled in other graduate classes. Research methods ratings yielded 4 factors accounting for 75.2 percent of the variance, while from other graduate education ratings, only 3 factors accounted for 73.3 percent of the variance. The unique research factor "thoroughness" together with specific item comparisons suggested the existence of a different rating policy within research methods classes. Two tables are included. (Author/RLC)