Grading Styles and Instructor Attitudes

The authors examined how instructor attitudes relate to grading behavior using two attitude instruments (ascription of responsibility and approval motivation) and resulting data collected from general education instructors at a midwestern comprehensive university. The results of the research show that approval motivation is significantly related to grading behavior. The authors also found that male instructors are more likely to ascribe responsibility to the individual than are female instructors, and tenured faculty are more likely to ascribe responsibility to the individual than are nontenured instructors. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.