Assessing Faculty Orientations towards Grades and Learning: Some Initial Results

Abstract

Although college and university faculty routinely assign grades, the effect this process has on teaching and learning only infrequently has been investigated empirically. Based on prior work leading to a self-report inventory designed to assess students' orientations towards learning and grades known as LOGO II, the present work reports the results of two separate studies of the development of a similar inventory for faculty, LOGO:F. In Study 1, 253 full-time faculty were asked to complete LOGO:F and to provide demographic information concerning gender, disciplinary affiliation, and number of years teaching. In Study 2, 152 faculty members at a different university also were asked to complete LOGO:F and to provide relevant demographic information. Analysis of the data sets yielded comparable factor structures for items comprising LOGO:F, clear differences in learning- or grade-orientation according to discipline, and a few differences associated with gender or number of years teaching. Results were discussed in terms of their implications for classroom teaching and learning.