THE EFFECT OF GRADES ON STUDENT RATINGS OF TEACHING: IMPLICATION FOR UNDERSTANDING STUDENT MOTIVATION

There is widespread belief that teachers who grade more easily receive better student evaluations than those who are tougher graders. The actual research literature on this issue, however, is equivocal. This study examines this issue in an Asian context and reports similar findings as found in the West-- while grades have a moderate influence, this relationship is often explained by a third variable of student self-perceptions of their own learning outcomes from the module. While most of the previous literature on this issue focuses on validity issues, this paper will examine how such data can inform us about student motivation