TY - JOUR
T1 - Understanding the relationship between language performance and university course grades
AU - Brown, Alan V.
N1 - Copyright:
Copyright 2013 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2013/3
Y1 - 2013/3
N2 - This article presents preliminary data correlating students' scores on measures of speaking, listening, and reading with their grades in Spanish courses. As might be expected, students with higher grades generally scored higher on performance assessments than did classmates with lower course grades. However, large score ranges resulted within a single letter grade. In addition, some students with low course grades scored rather well on certain measures of performance while some students with high course grades had low scores. In sum, the relationship between course grades, GPA, and performance level as evidenced by these data were far from predictable and underscored the need for (1) more research using a variety of methodologies, and (2) more careful alignment of course grades with demonstrated abilities to use language in interpretive and interpersonal settings.
AB - This article presents preliminary data correlating students' scores on measures of speaking, listening, and reading with their grades in Spanish courses. As might be expected, students with higher grades generally scored higher on performance assessments than did classmates with lower course grades. However, large score ranges resulted within a single letter grade. In addition, some students with low course grades scored rather well on certain measures of performance while some students with high course grades had low scores. In sum, the relationship between course grades, GPA, and performance level as evidenced by these data were far from predictable and underscored the need for (1) more research using a variety of methodologies, and (2) more careful alignment of course grades with demonstrated abilities to use language in interpretive and interpersonal settings.
KW - Assessment
KW - GPA
KW - Program evaluation
KW - Spanish proficiency
KW - University foreign language course grades
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U2 - 10.1111/flan.12014
DO - 10.1111/flan.12014
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84876832541
SN - 0015-718X
VL - 46
SP - 80
EP - 87
JO - Foreign Language Annals
JF - Foreign Language Annals
IS - 1
ER -