Dissertation

The effect of scoring guides on student motivation and performance

Cole, Jason Reilly

1999

Overview

The purpose of this research was to investigate the effect of scoring guides, or rubrics, on student performance and motivation. Rubrics are used to score open-ended performance assessments and to help instructors tie assessments to standards. The impact of presenting scoring guides to students on their motivation and performance on assessments has not been previously examined. This study investigated the impact of a rubric presented to students before an assessment as measured by the participants' performance rating and answers to a motivational survey. The 52 participants were enrolled in an undergraduate educational technology course at a medium sized midwestern university. The participants were randomly assigned to either an experimental group, which had access to the rubric, or a control group, which did not have access. The participants' responses to the assessment were scored by the instructor using the rubric. The participants' motivation was measured using Kellers Instructional Materials Motivation Survey (Keller, 1993). The data yielded no significant difference between the students who viewed the rubric before the assessment and those who did not. The lack of statistical significance may be due to the limited exposure to the rubric or to the methodology employed to create an experimental environment. The author examines several possibilities for future research, including alternative measures of motivation and targeting populations who may benefit from more structure.

• Publisher: ProQuest Dissertations & Theses
• Subject: Educational evaluation / Educational technology / Educational tests & measurements / Higher education
• ISBN: 0599274646, 9780599274648