Exploring Students’ Perspectives toward Clarity and Familiarity of Writing Scoring Rubrics: The Case of Saudi EFL Students

Dukhayel M Aldukhayel

doi:10.5539/elt.v10n10p1

Abstract

The main aim of this research study is to investigate the clarity and familiarity of three scoring rubrics used in a Saudi university’s preparatory year program (PYP) for assessing students’ writing achievement in midterm and final exams. This exploration is important in providing some evidence for the quality of scoring rubrics. To achieve that purpose, a 13-item online questionnaire was used to collect Saudi EFL PYP students’ perspectives toward two quality criteria concerning rubrics; 1) clarity of the information included in the PYP rubrics, and (2) familiarity of the rubrics to students. The subjects were 281 Arabic-speaking male and female EFL Saudi students enrolled in three different academic levels in a Saudi university’s PYP. The results suggest that the quality of the PYP rubrics is insufficient and the criteria set for providing evidence for the rubric qualities were not met. The results show that students tend to have a mild agreement on the clarity of the PYP rubrics, whereas they show a clear disagreement on their familiarity with the rubrics and with why and how the rubrics are used. The study implicates that administrators and teachers need to carefully consider the clarity and familiarity of rubrics in order to justify the decisions made about students’ writing abilities. Rubrics that are unclear or unfamiliar can make students feel confused and frustrated, as they cannot get a clear sense of their writing scores, as well as their strengths and weaknesses.

Highlights

For the sake of validity and appropriateness of scoring rubrics, two crucial quality criteria need to be exist; clarity and familiarity
The results suggest that the quality of the PYP rubrics is insufficient and the criteria set for providing evidence for the rubric qualities were not met
The results show that students tend to have a mild agreement on the clarity of the PYP rubrics, whereas they show a clear disagreement on their familiarity with the rubrics and with why and how the rubrics are used

Summary

Introduction

For the sake of validity and appropriateness of scoring rubrics, two crucial quality criteria need to be exist; clarity and familiarity. A number of scholars and researchers (e.g., Andrade, 2007; Skillings & Ferrell, 2000; Yoshina & Harada, 2007) have proposed that students’ perspectives, and not just scorers, should be explored about the clarity of scoring rubrics to help inform students’ own learning, as they suggest that this information contributes to students’ self-assessment and self-monitoring of achievement. Other researchers have suggested that it is important for students to have familiarity with scoring rubrics prior to the assessment of their performance (Andersen & Puckett, 2003; Skillings & Ferrell, 2000). Other researchers have suggested that it is important for students to have familiarity with scoring rubrics prior to the assessment of their performance (Andersen & Puckett, 2003; Skillings & Ferrell, 2000). Becker (2011) maintains that “with this understanding of what is expected of them and how they will be assessed, students will likely be more accepting of their scores, as a result of the perceived transparency in the assessment process” (p. 45)

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