ERIC Number: EJ962586
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2011-Dec
Pages: 12
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0191-491X
EISSN: N/A
Do Central Examinations Lead to Greater Grading Comparability? A Study of Frame-of-Reference Effects on the University Entrance Qualification in Germany
Neumann, Marko; Trautwein, Ulrich; Nagy, Gabriel
Studies in Educational Evaluation, v37 n4 p206-217 Dec 2011
In Germany, the "Abitur" grades awarded at the end of upper secondary education are critical in the allocation of sought-after university places. Drawing on a representative sample of 3526 grade 13 "Abitur" students in the German state of Baden-Wurttemberg, this article examines whether and to what extent grading is affected by the mean achievement of the school serving as frame of reference ("group-referenced grading"), and to what extent this influence differs for coursework and examination grades in mathematics and English as a foreign language. Overall, the results indicate that the higher level of standardization of the central "Abitur" examinations makes examination grades less susceptible to frame-of-reference effects than are coursework grades. (Contains 4 tables.)
Descriptors: Postsecondary Education, Grades (Scholastic), Academic Achievement, Tests, Grading, Foreign Countries, Student Attitudes, College Entrance Examinations, English (Second Language), Second Language Learning, Mathematics Achievement, Standardized Tests, Higher Education, Comparative Analysis
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Germany
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A