Grading Practices and Considerations of Graduate Students at the Beginning of their Teaching Assignment

TL;DR

This study examines how graduate teaching assistants grade physics solutions, revealing differences in grading practices between quiz and homework contexts and highlighting areas for professional development.

Contribution

It provides new insights into TAs' grading considerations and how context influences their assessment of student problem-solving approaches.

Findings

Most TAs noticed but did not grade on expert-like solution features.

TAs graded differently in quiz versus homework contexts.

Time constraints affected grading decisions in quizzes.

Abstract

Research shows that expert-like approaches to problem-solving can be promoted by encouraging students to explicate their thought processes and follow a prescribed problem-solving strategy. Since grading communicates instructors' expectations, teaching assistants' grading decisions play a crucial role in forming students' approaches to problem-solving in physics. We investigated the grading practices and considerations of 43 graduate teaching assistants (TAs). The TAs were asked to grade a set of specially designed student solutions and explain their grading decisions. We found that in a quiz context, a majority of TAs noticed but did not grade on solution features which promote expert-like approaches to problem-solving. In addition, TAs graded differently in quiz and homework contexts, partly because of how they considered time limitations in a quiz. Our findings can inform professional development programs for TAs.