Sharing Student Projects

The aim of this project was to explore teachers’ experiences and perceptions of TAG. The TAG method was used to evaluate students’ achievement and progress for GCSE English Language during the two academic years affected by the COVID-19 pandemic between 2019 and 2021. The study focused on UK FE colleges due to the important function these contexts play in providing students a final chance at free GCSE education. This setting is known to be an intense education environment, as GCSE English in FE is a resit course that condenses two years of learning usually studied in secondary education into one year. In contrast to other education environments, existing FE research is limited. This study sought to fill a gap in knowledge related to this phenomenon and provides a number of future research directions. Eight teachers took part in the study, selected from six UK colleges. Participants were recruited via emails to gatekeepers who are current education managers in these organisations. Those selected were asked to take part in interviews lasting between 30 minutes and one hour. Those selected were required to have been responsible for assigning students’ TAG during the pandemic. They were also required to have completed at least one additional year of GCSE English teaching in order for them to compare their experiences with that of typical years. A philosophical position of Critical Realism was adopted, which allows for exploration of causality, and helps researchers understand the structures and relationships that underlie a phenomenon. Teacher interviews followed a semi-structured approach which provides flexibility when questioning, allowing for richer, more comprehensive detail to emerge. This method allowed the researcher to probe deeper into teachers’ experiences to develop a clear understanding of their perceptions of TAG. Initial reading identified a range of themes which formed the basis for some of the questions posed to participants. Interviews then took place online and were recorded by the researcher, before being transcribed. Transcriptions were then read and re-read, with important information categorised under codes and themes. The study uses reflexive thematic analysis to analyse the interview data. The reflexivity of this method provides a hybrid approach of inductive and deductive reasoning. This allowed the researcher to call upon their own experiences in education to help better understand those of teachers. The study identified a range of themes consistent with the literature, and further demonstrates the role that factors such as expectancy effects, stress, self-efficacy, student engagement, teacher experience, bias, and locus of control can play in grade formation. This study furthers that understanding and details some additional factors that contributed to TAG, such as managerial oversight effects, plagiarism, online learning, and technological barriers. This research also identified resultant factors from grading, such as teacher guilt, teacher blaming, and teacher anxiety that were previously unresearched in TAG. This study provides recommendations for educators and policy makers. Some of those recommendations include the use of plagiarism detection software for student assessments, the use of anonymous marking techniques, identifying student barriers to learning, increasing the use of internal marking and standardisation procedures, and examiner training for teachers to improve marking accuracy.

This research provides useful guidance for teachers, FE managers, and policy makers. Teachers may use this information to help build their expertise and self-efficacy through additional training and continuing professional development. Examiner training for GCSE teachers was identified by a number of participants as holding a salient solution to building confidence and self-efficacy. Strengthening relationships with students through communication technology may also help identify and overcome student barriers to learning. Teachers may also wish to bolster departmental relationships to increase marking standardisation. This may improve the quality and rigour of grading and prevent unwanted teacher blaming. The confidence this can bring to teachers may have further impact on students’ confidence in their grades. This may also prevent some of the negative effects experienced by teachers, such as feelings of guilt and anxiety. FE managers should seek to empower teachers by providing strengthened support structures that help give them confidence. Managers were seen by some teachers as an unwanted influence on TAG which affected teachers’ grades. This was seen by many as a negative influence that in some instance led to grade inflation, therefore undermining the security of grades. Policy makers may also learn from this study by listening to the expertise of teachers and the wishes of students in relation to how GCSEs are graded. Narratives from this study demonstrate change is desired in GCSE in order to provide a more holistic picture of students’ progression and achievement. Currently, teachers believe the system of examinations hinder a large section of students who have high quality knowledge and skills but are let down by an assessment method that is too strict and detrimental to their mental health and wellbeing. The societal and cultural impact of this may be of real importance to the UK economy and help provide learners more of the skills they need for employment. One third of students in the UK currently leave education without English and/or Maths. If this can be reduced through improved assessment, the societal impact of this may hold useful benefits that help bring British workplace productivity in-line with European counterparts.