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Why do instructors pass underperforming students? A Q-methodology study.

Chunlin Liu1, Jananey Rajagopalan2, Bruce Wainman2

  • 1Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.

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|October 14, 2024
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Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Instructors avoid failing students due to intrinsic motivations, external pressures, or administrative/emotional burdens. Understanding these failure-to-fail justifications is key to maintaining educational standards.

Keywords:
By person factor analysisEvaluationFailure-to-failQ-methodology

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Area of Science:

  • Education
  • Psychology
  • Sociology

Background:

  • Formal evaluations are crucial for student learning and identifying weaknesses.
  • Concerns exist regarding instructors passing students who do not meet academic expectations, a phenomenon termed 'failure-to-fail'.
  • This study investigates instructors' rationales behind the failure-to-fail phenomenon.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify and categorize instructors' justifications for not failing students who do not meet expectations.
  • To explore the underlying factors contributing to the 'failure-to-fail' mechanism in higher education.

Main Methods:

  • Q-methodology was employed with 57 instructors at a Canadian university.
  • By-person factor analysis with principal component factor extraction and Varimax rotation was utilized.
  • The QFACTOR program in Stata was used for analysis, with a Cohen's effect size of 0.80 for statement distinction.

Main Results:

  • Three distinct instructor viewpoints emerged: Intrinsically Motivated, Extrinsically Motivated, and Administratively & Emotionally Deterred.
  • Intrinsically Motivated instructors cited mental barriers, not external pressure, for passing students.
  • Extrinsically Motivated instructors cited pressure from superiors and career concerns, while Administratively & Emotionally Deterred instructors found the process stressful and emotionally taxing.

Conclusions:

  • Three viewpoints explain the failure-to-fail mechanism, highlighting areas for intervention.
  • Transparent discussions and systemic solutions are needed to uphold educational and professional standards.
  • Further research across disciplines is recommended to validate these findings.