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Teaching Assistant Attention and Responsiveness to Student Reasoning in Written Work
Cynthia F C Hill1, Julia S Gouvea1,2, David Hammer1,3
1Department of Education, Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155.
CBE Life Sciences Education
|May 12, 2018
Summary
Graduate teaching assistants (TAs) primarily focused on writing style in student lab reports, but sometimes considered scientific reasoning. Their focus shifted based on course goals and contextual cues.
Area of Science:
- Biology Education
- Scientific Writing Assessment
Background:
- Instructor feedback shapes student approaches to writing assignments.
- Understanding how teaching assistants (TAs) provide feedback is crucial for effective science education.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how graduate TAs in an introductory biology course attended to and responded to student lab reports.
- To explore factors influencing TAs' focus on writing style versus scientific reasoning.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of marked lab reports from five TAs.
- Interviews with TAs to understand their marking decisions and focus.
Main Results:
- TAs predominantly focused on writing style and form in lab report feedback.
- TAs occasionally addressed students' scientific reasoning, influenced by course objectives and assessment structure.
- TAs demonstrated flexibility, shifting focus from style to reasoning based on situational cues.
Conclusions:
- TA feedback patterns are influenced by their interpretation of the course's purpose and assessment design.
- Opportunities exist to redesign lab courses and professional development to emphasize students' biological reasoning.
- Shifting TA focus towards scientific reasoning can enhance the pedagogical value of lab report assessments.
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