What’s in a Grade? Teacher Candidates’ Experiences of Grading in Higher Education: A Phenomenographic Study

This study explores teacher candidates’ experiences of grading in higher education. A phenomenographic approach was adopted and four qualitatively different categories were identified. Grading was experienced as: self-identification, motivation, personal interpretation and academic enculturation. Th...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Cormac McGrath, Ylva Ståhle, Lena Geijer
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2021-08-01
Series:Education Sciences
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/11/8/422
Description
Summary:This study explores teacher candidates’ experiences of grading in higher education. A phenomenographic approach was adopted and four qualitatively different categories were identified. Grading was experienced as: self-identification, motivation, personal interpretation and academic enculturation. The results indicate that teacher candidates accept existing grading systems but have difficulty interpreting and explaining them, illustrating areas of importance in teacher education and argues that if teacher candidates do not perceive genuine differences in the performance of assessing by grade descriptors, there is a risk that they may develop an insufficient understanding of grading practices.
ISSN:2227-7102