Date of Award

1988

Type

Thesis

Major

Specialist in Education

Degree Type

Specialist Degree in Education

Department

Teacher Education

First Advisor

Dr. James Brewbaker

Second Advisor

Dr. Thomas P. Loughman

Third Advisor

Dr. Bob G. Henderson

Abstract

The focus of the study was to see if there was a significant difference among the final scores of essays written by eleventh and twelfth grade students as scored by teacher raters. In addition, the study addressed whether or not raters scored expressive essays higher than expository essays.

In order to demonstrate the efficacy of existing scoring scales, some 175 expressive essays and 158 expository essays were obtained from two area high schools located in the southeastern United States. From these essays, fifteen expressive and fifteen expository essays were randomly selected and scored using a Diederich holistic scoring scale, a Diederich analytic scoring scale, and individual teacher scoring using no formal scale.

Findings indicated that assessment method influenced the final score placed on an essay, but that mode did not. Since the teacher-scored essays were awarded a higher rating than those essays scored using either holistic or analytic scale, the study implied that teachers would achieve replicability of results in the use of scales.

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