Student Interest, Grading Leniency, and Teacher Ratings: A Conceptual Analysis

This study explored the extent to which student interest and grading leniency were predictive of teacher ratings. Unlike other teacher rating research, however, this study measured student interest at the beginning and end of seven sections of two courses; further, grading leniency was explicitly defined and measured, not inferred from expected grade and workload. Data indicate that precourse interest was positively associated with expected grade, but was not predictive of ratings, nor did it moderate the expected grade-rating association. Rather, interest change was positively associated with expected grade and predictive of ratings. Further, interest change and grading leniency provided incremental variance in ratings, beyond that provided by expected grade. Copyright 2001 Academic Press.