Abstract
For Japanese university students, EFL classes are often compulsory at some stage of their university career. Although surveys regularly solicit reactions to classes, little systematic attention seems to be paid to how students feel about their grades. A learner’s reaction to an assessment or test affects the scores and the way they interact with assessment. This research project was developed to help discover how students experience the grading process in a compulsory EFL listening and speaking course in a single department. Using Q methodology (Brown, 1980), 104 second-year students from four classes at different levels completed a forced-distribution sort of 40 statements on course assessment. This was accompanied by an open-ended survey on aspects of grades and grading. The resulting sorts were subject to factor analysis using a varimax rotation, and factors were compared with the qualitative survey data. Factors were then reviewed using the “crib sheet” introduced in Watts and Stenner (2012). A six-factor solution was found for the combined group, with differing attitudes and approaches to grading observed. Whilst the grade was overall viewed as fair, some issues may benefit from institutional review. Q methodology represents a powerful tool for teachers to co-create data for this process.
