Reading a journal articleReference: Gaultney, J. F., & Cann, A. (2001). Grade expectations. Teaching <strong>of</strong> Psychology,28, 84–87.Read the Gaultney & Cann (2001) article carefully, and then complete the following activities.Put everything into your own words — answer without looking back at the article, except forItem #3.1. Summarize the study.2. Evaluate the method. List the criteria on which you are evaluating, and then write yourevaluation (see example).CriterionSample size<strong>Evaluation</strong>220 students is a relatively large sample, although no poweranalysis was done.3. Explain Table 2. Be specific as to what the numbers mean (for example, what does 1.23 inthe first column show?)4. One finding is that students don’t think pr<strong>of</strong>essors can evaluate effort very well. How canyou operationalize effort to help alleviate this problem?5. Given the findings <strong>of</strong> this study, suggest two possible follow-ups to address unansweredquestions raised by this study. For each follow-up study, state your research question, yourhypotheses, and the justification for your prediction.
Question 1: Summarize the study.Assessment objective: Understanding all sections <strong>of</strong> the study.3 (Advanced undergrad) 2 (Developing) 1 (Introductory) 0 (Before instruction)- includes accurate paraphrases <strong>of</strong>problem, participants, materials andprocedure, brief summary <strong>of</strong> results,and implications- notes variables in design and/orstates results in terms <strong>of</strong> variables- summary rather than list <strong>of</strong> eachresult- includes all or most key componentsbut is not summarized and/or in ownwords- results are mostly accurate butunclear; may be in a list rather than acoherent summary- implications <strong>of</strong> research may beomitted- omits key components <strong>of</strong> study;focus is primarily on goal <strong>of</strong> study- statement <strong>of</strong> topic or design isgeneral; variables not specified- results stated but not all accurate oronly general conclusions stated- relevant sentences cut from body <strong>of</strong>article without paraphrase- one or two sentences that reflect thetitle with no additional information- summary copied directly fromabstract“The study assessed students’ (in a large introductorypsychology course) preferences for evaluation.Researchers examined the statistical relationshipsamong students’ gender, course goals (and preferences),age, and attitudes towards grading forclasses in general, and for the particular coursethey were enrolled. The research objective was thusto determine whether and which subgroups <strong>of</strong> studentsdiffer in their orientations toward grading andhow. For the course goal and age factors, participantswere coded performance- or masteryoriented,and as younger or older (under and over20 years, respectively). Reasons for course enrollment,task preferences, and opinions about gradingspecifically,the criteria upon which to be evaluatedand ideal grade distribution, were analyzed bygender (male and female subgroups).Results include overall student preference for fun oreasy tasks, multiple-choice tests graded on a curve,more evaluation opportunities, grade distributionsskewed toward higher grades, and mastery <strong>of</strong> materialand effort as most important in the calculation<strong>of</strong> final grades. <strong>Student</strong>s did not believe teachersassess effort, the second most important evaluativecomponent, well. Furthermore, performance-orientedstudents preferred fun or easy tasks more thanmastery-oriented students who favored activitiesthat reinforce learning. Women preferred moreassignments and opportunities for evaluation, andonly mastery-oriented men expected a normal-typegrade distribution. Lastly, mastery-oriented andolder students felt mastery should count more thaneffort in the calculation <strong>of</strong> grades, while performance-orientedand younger students felt theyshould count equally. (answer continues, next column)“In this study, 220 college students completed asurvey about their feelings towards gradeexpectations and their pr<strong>of</strong>essors’ evaluationmethods. The survey was used to see if studentswere generally satisfied with their final grade,surprised by their final grade, what their gradeshould reflect, and how the pr<strong>of</strong>essors could assesstheir effort. The results were compared by usingthree groups: age, gender, and goal. The resultsshowed that women were more likely than men toprefer more opportunities for evaluation. Youngerstudents were more likely than older students toprefer more weight placed on effort than on mastery<strong>of</strong> the material. Performance-oriented students andwomen who were mastery-orients preferred gradesto be distributed with more higher grades thanlower grades.”(continuation from Advanced column)The researchers therefore concluded that studentsheld conflicting attitudes toward, and preferencesfor, grading that nearly predict dissatisfaction withevaluative outcomes. Nevertheless, most studentsreceived the grade they expected and were thusprepared, in spite <strong>of</strong> possible unawareness <strong>of</strong>conflicting preferences, and potential dissatisfactionwith their final grade and/or course, overall.”“This study collected data from 220 college-agedstudents from large lecture sections <strong>of</strong> introductorypsychology classes. This research provides data tobetter understand student motivations and goals andto identify possible group differences in preferencesfor course requirements and evaluation methods. Itaddresses what students consider appropriateevaluation strategies and how subgroups mightdiffer.”“The study is about college students and the gradesthey expect in their intro psychology classes.”
Change language