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ABSTRACT
The goal of this research was to determine student perceptions of the effectiveness of rubric usage across different colleges/disciplines, age groups, gender, academic levels, and first-generation vs. non-first-generation college students. The research questions were: What are students' perceptions of rubric usage? How do students perceive rubrics' standardization of assignments? Do students perceive that rubrics have a positive or negative impact on student work? This study replicates a study by Laurian and Fitzgerald (2013) that examined students' perceptions of rubrics in a Romanian Literature course. The objective of this study was to determine if students in specific groups found rubrics more effective than others. The results of the study strongly indicated that a majority of students have positive attitudes about rubrics. More specifically, students in disciplines outside of the Arts have shown a strong preference toward using rubrics to guide their own work. The new knowledge gleaned from this study should prove valuable as it aides in the development of improved rubrics that are less creatively stifling and more applicable.
Keywords: rubric, higher education, assessment, student perceptions
INTRODUCTION
There has been much debate on the subject of rubrics since theygained mainstream academic popularity in the late 1970s. The primary focus of that ongoing discussion is the extent to which different types of rubrics and design characteristics enhance student achievement.
The common theme that emerges from a review of the literature shows a prevalence toward comparing scores with and without the use of rubrics, while promoting the use of specific types of rubrics to those ends (Hunter, Jones & Randhawa, 1996; Johnson, Penny, & Gordon, 2000; Andrade, 2005; Reddy, 2011). However, there is limited available research regarding the perceptions of the students who most frequently utilize rubrics.
Numerous studies conducted to evaluate how different types of rubrics impact students' scores (Reddy & Andrade, 2010; Smith, Worsfold, Davies, Fisher & McPhail, 2013). These studies emphasize the outcomes of rubric usage rather than the individual attributes that lead to improved assignment scores. Some researchers have used a slightly different methodology altogether, as they have pursued insight into the effectiveness of different types of rubrics for diverse types of assignments (Hunter, Jones, & Randhawa, 1996; Johnson, Penny, & Gordon, 2000). Similar research has delved into the individual attributes...