Performance and Attitude of Student Teachers as Affected by Two Gradin Systems

Abstract

This experiment tested the effect of method of grading, the letter (A ‐F) and satisfactoryfail (S ‐F) grading systems, on performance and attitudes of home economics education student teachers at Iowa State University. Dependent variables were factor scores derived from instru ments administered to the student teachers and their cooperating teachers and ratings on 15 dimensions of two audiotaped class sessions taught by the student teachers. Responses of the 117 student teachers and their cooperating teachers were used in the factor analysis in which general and specific factors were extracted. Data from 50 student teachers and their 16 cooperating teachers were used in the tests for differences between groups. A control for response set variance was utilized. Analyses of variance revealed that method of grading did not affect performance and that student teachers were, in general, less anxious and more positive about their relationships with their cooperating teachers under S‐F than under A‐F grading.