Students’\nPerceptions of Specifications Grading:\nDevelopment and Evaluation of the Perceptions of Grading Schemes (PGS)\nInstrument

Instructional reforms of science, technology, engineering,\nand\nmathematics (STEM) courses in higher education have primarily focused\non instructors’ teaching practices. While this area has been\nwell explored, other areas of instructional reform lag. One such broad\narea is assessment and evaluation, which includes grading schemes.\nIn recent years, alternative grading schemes and movements have increased\nin popularity. Within chemistry, specifications grading is favored.\nSpecifications grading has been proposed as an alternative grading\nscheme to address the reported flaws of the traditional, 100-point\nor A–F grading system. Advocates for specifications grading\nexpect increases in students’ motivation to learn, grading\ntransparency, and reductions in stress. However, empirical investigations\ntesting these hypothesized outcomes are rare. To empirically test\nthe hypothesized outcomes of specifications grading, we developed\nthe Perceptions of Grading Schemes (PGS) instrument, which explores\nstudents’ perceptions of the implementation of specifications\ngrading as compared to a traditional grading scheme experienced in\nother STEM courses. We analyze the psychometric properties of the\nPGS instrument data from students enrolled in a specifications-graded,\nyear-long general chemistry laboratory course. Analyses demonstrate\ngood data-model fit through exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses\nand high reliability of the instrument subscales, indicating that\nthe instrument functions well with students in specifications-graded\ncourses. Data suggest that implementations of specifications grading\nmay not be achieving all of the hypothesized student outcomes.