EFL Lectures’ Grading Practices in Islamic and General Higher Education Institutions
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24256/itj.v5i1.2529Abstract
This study investigates EFL lecturers’ grading practices, focusing on the beliefs underlying these practices, the types of assessment they implement to determine students’ final grades, and multiple factors influencing them in deciding students’ final grades. Applying interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA), two EFL lecturers, one from an Islamic higher education institution and the other from a general higher education institution, were interviewed to reveal their grading practices. The findings of the research reveal that both lecturers believe that grades should reflect students’ learning outcomes. They serve as an instrument to measure the achievement of learning objectives and to identify which items from the course need to be improved. Both lecturers also believe that assigning final grades should involve multiple aspects related to moral character development. Furthermore, they apply various types of assessment. They employ formal and informal assessment types to obtain students’ scores before deciding their final grades. In addition, they consider academic factors, such as scores derived from formal and informal assessments, and non-academic factors, such as students’ efforts, attitude, and attendance, should be employed in their grading practices.    Â
Keywords:Â Grading practices; Assessment; Academic Factors; Non-academic Factors
References
Allen, J. D. (2005). Grades as valid measures of academic achievement of classroom learning. The Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas, 78(5), 218–223. https://doi.org/10.3200/TCHS.78.5.218-223
Brookhart, S. M. (1994). Teachers’ grading: Practice and theory. Applied Measurement in Education, 7(4), 279–201. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15324818ame0704_2
Bryman, A. (2016). Social research methods (5th edition). Oxford University Press.
Cheng, L., & Sun, Y. (2015). Teachers’ grading decision making: Multiple influencing factors and methods. Language Assessment Quarterly, 12(2), 213–233. https://doi.org/10.1080/15434303.2015.1010726
Creswell, J. W. (2012). Educational research: Planning, conducting and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research (4th edition). Pearson.
Frisbie, D. A., & Waltman, K. K. (2005). Developing a personal grading plan. Educational Measurement: Issues and Practice, 11(3), 35–42. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-3992.1992.tb00251.x
Gallagher, J. D. (1998). Classroom assessment for teachers. Prentice Hall.
Gredler, M. E. (1999). Classroom Assessment and Learning. Addison Wesley Longman.
Gamson, Z. F. (1991). A brief history of the seven principles for good practice in undergraduate education. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, 1991(47), 5–12. https://doi.org/10.1002/tl.37219914703
Hammersley, M., & Atkinson, P. (2007). Enthnography: Principles in practice (3rd edition). Routledge.
Isnawati, I., & Saukah, A. (2017). Teachers’ grading decision making. TEFLIN Journal - A Publication on the Teaching and Learning of English, 28(2), 155. https://doi.org/10.15639/teflinjournal.v28i2/155-169
Larkin, M., Watts, S., & Clifton, E. (2006). Giving voice and making sense in interpretative phenomenological analysis. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 102-120. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp062oa
Liu, X., Yan, W., Coombs, A., Maccormack, J., & Soleas, E. (2015). Graduate student symposium grading in East Asia: An examination of government policies. https://qspace.library.queensu.ca/
McMillan, J. H. (2005). Secondary teachers’ classroom assessment and grading practices. Educational Measurement: Issues and Practice, 20(1), 20–32. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-3992.2001.tb00055.x
O’connor, K. (2017). How to grade for learning: Linking grades to standards. Corwin Press.
O’Malley, J. M. . & P. L. V. (1997). Authentic asessment for English language learners: Practical approach for teachers. Addison-wesley Publishing Company.
Pollio, M., & Hochbein, C. (2015). The association between standards-based grading and standardized test scores as an element of a high school reform model. Teachers College Record, 117(11), 1-28. https://doi.org/10.1177/016146811511701106
Randall, J., & Engelhard, G. (2009). Examining teacher grades using rasch measurement theory. Journal of Educational Measurement, 46(1), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-3984.2009.01066.x
Randall, J., & Engelhard, G. (2010). Examining the grading practices of teachers. Teaching and Teacher Education, 26(7), 1372–1380. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2010.03.008
Smith, J. A. (2004). Reflecting on the development of interpretative phenomenological analysis and its contribution to qualitative research in psychology. Qualitative research in psychology, 1(1), 39-54. DOI: 10.1191/1478088704qp004oa
Sukirman, S. (2022a). The KKNI-based ELT curriculum applied in Islamic higher education in Indonesia: Global curriculum ideology perspectives. Kasetsart Journal of Social Sciences, 43(2), 311-322. https://so04.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/kjss/article/view/258488
Sukirman, S. (2022b). The concept of “Kampus Merdeka†in the current policy of Indonesian higher education: ELT lecturers’ perspectives. Indonesian TESOL Journal, 4(1), 31-47. http://ejournal.iainpalopo.ac.id/index.php/ITJ/article/view/2440
Stiggins, R. J., Frisbie, D. A., & Griswold, P. A. (1989). Inside high school grading practices: Building a research agenda. Educational Measurement: Issues and Practice, 8(2), 5–14. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-3992.1989.tb00315.x
Tierney, R. D. (2015). Altered grades: A grey zone in the ethics of classroom assessment. Assessment Matters, 8, 5–30. https://doi.org/10.18296/am.0002
Yin, R. K. (2017). Case study research and applications: Design and methods. Sage publications.
Zoeckler, L. G. (2007). Moral aspects of grading: A study of high school English teachers’ perceptions. American Secondary Education. 35(2), 83–102. https://www.jstor.org/stable/41406291.
Zulaiha, S. (2017). Teachers’ grading practices: In search for clear grading criteria. Journal of ELT Research: The Academic Journal of Studies in English Language Teaching and Learning, 2(1), 15–23. https://journal.uhamka.ac.id/index.php/jer/article/view/157
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
Citation Check
License
Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See the Effect of Open Access)
