A description is provided of the use of a group process approach to the Freshman English research paper at El Paso Community College. After highlighting problems associated with traditional approaches to freshman research papers, an overview of the group process approach is provided, along with warnings for instructors who might view the approach…

Designed for students, faculty, and others interested in the writing program at Umpqua Community College (UCC) in Oregon, this booklet clarifies the specific function and scope of the writing courses offered by UCC's Department of Humanities. Section I states the department's objectives (e.g., to provide a core curriculum meeting the requirements…

Three dimensions of school children's viewpoints on grades were examined in a developmental framework: (1) sentiment and attitudes about being graded, (2) causal perceptions and attributions about why students get good grades; and (3) comprehension of simple and complex grading systems. A total of 293 boys and girls drawn from fourth through…

A longitudinal study was conducted at William Rainey Harper College (WRHC) to provide basic institutional data about student performance and achievement based on an analysis of student academic records. Samples of 200 full-time and 200 part-time students were selected from successive classes from 1973 through 1983. Study findings included the…

In February 1988, a survey was conducted to examine placement procedures and developmental reading programs at two- and four-year colleges in New York State. Surveys were mailed to 30 two-year colleges and 28 four-year colleges, requesting information on the placement tests and cut-off scores used; types of additional diagnostic testing; course…

In the early twentieth century behaviorist Edward L. Thorndike began the development and use of measurement scales to replace personal judgment to evaluate student compositions in U.S. public schools. In 1912, utilizing the Fullerton and Catell equal difference theorem, Milo B. Hillegas released the first scientifically designed scale to measure…

Students who are motivated to write and learn generally pay attention to written comments on their rough and final drafts; students who are not motivated generally ignore written comments and do not use them in revision, but nonetheless are concerned about grades. One effective way of increasing student interest in writing and skill development is…

To explain evidence that females receive higher grades in communication courses than males, one researcher has posed a competence/compliance paradox: either, women are more competent communicators and are only judged to be less competent in public life because of prejudice, or, women are not as competent as men in communication as demonstrated in…

To gauge students' reactions to a teacher's written comments on final drafts of their papers, a questionnaire was administered to 197 students in six sections of freshman composition. Most of the students responding to the questionnaire were majoring in engineering, computer science, or business. Their six instructors had similar criteria for…

To determine how college instructors evaluate student learning in their reading methods course, a questionnaire was administered to 15 instructors of elementary, and 11 instructors of secondary, reading methods courses. The instrument was divided into five sections for the purpose of collecting the following data: (1) course design and components…

The objective and subjective determinants that influence the way elementary school teachers grade students were explored. A longitudinal study was made of 213 students in 6 elementary schools as the students progressed from the first to the third grade. Possible determinants for assigning grades included student acquisition of valuable skills as…

This study is the third in a series of reports of the Reading-to-Write Project, a collaborative study of students' cognitive processes at one critical point of entry into academic performance. This part of the study examines the problem that teachers have in judging whether textual signals that students use to indicate a persuasive analysis of…

Grades awarded to secondary school students in the Cleveland (Ohio) public schools were analyzed to determine relationships between grades and selected school climate variables in a desegregated urban school district. Failures or F grades and schoolwide non-promotion rates were both related to rates of class attendance and school suspensions. Over…

In physical education classes at the secondary school level, objective, sex-fair evaluation is necessary to help each student develop to his or her fullest capacity. Student performance assessment must take into account the physiological differences between males and females after the onset of puberty. Within each sex there is a broad range of…

A study was conducted at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University to determine the relationship between the use of verbal and nonverbal interaction by preservice education students and the grades assigned to them by vocational education teacher educators. The study also investigated the assignment of grades by vocational teacher…