Validation of a rating scale for distance education university student essays in a literature-based module
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Authors
Ward-Cox, Maxine Welland
Issue Date
2020-01
Type
Thesis
Language
en
Keywords
Validity , Validation , Assessment , Rating scale , Distance education , Open distance learning (ODL) , Open distance e-learning (ODeL) , Academic writing skills , South African students
Alternative Title
Abstract
This thesis reports on the findings of a study to validate an assessment scale for writing
in an Open Distance Learning (ODL) context by first-year students in their responses to
English literary texts. The study involved the interrogation of an existing scale, adapted
from Jacobs et al. (1981), which was being used for the Foundations in English Literary
Studies (ENG1501) module at the University of South Africa. Despite the credibility of
the original scale, the modified version had been used in language- and literature-based
courses in the English Studies Department since 1998 and had not been updated or
empirically tested in the context of the target group. Thus, the gap that this current study
addressed was the need for a valid rating scale that takes into account the complexities
of literature teaching and ODL in the current South African university environment.
This thesis includes a review of the debate on validity and the validation of rating scales
both internationally and in South Africa, the ODL environment, and the assessment of assignments based on literary texts, particularly in the multicultural South African
context. The methodology included research of both a quantitative and a qualitative
nature. The outcome was an empirically-validated scale that should contribute to the
quest for accuracy in assessing academic writing and meet the formative and summative assessment needs of the target group