Evaluation and Assessment of Essays in Higher Education: Practices, Challenges, and Insights
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18485/analiff.2025.37.2.10Keywords:
essay assessment, rubrics, higher education, EFL writing assessment, teacher assessment practices, grading reliability, assessment literacyAbstract
Essay assessment is a central practice in higher education widely used to evaluate critical thinking, analytical writing, and subject-matter competence. Despite its importance, persistent concerns remain regarding grading consistency, standardization, and the substantial time investment required. While rubrics are commonly advocated as tools to improve reliability, instructors’ actual practices, challenges, and perceptions surrounding essay evaluation have not been thoroughly examined, particularly in varied institutional contexts. The main aim of this study is to investigate college instructors’ practices, challenges, and attitudes toward essay assessment. Specifically, it explores how rubrics are employed and the extent to which instructors perceive essays as effective measures of higher-order learning outcomes. The study involved 52 college instructors who completed a validated questionnaire designed to capture their assessment practices and perspectives. Data were collected via a structured survey instrument and analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics. Descriptive and inferential statistical techniques were applied to identify patterns in usage, perceived utility, and encountered difficulties. The analysis revealed that most instructors value essays as effective tools for assessing critical thinking and subject proficiency and report frequent use in their teaching. However, significant challenges persist, including inconsistent grading, lack of standardization, and heavy time demands. Although rubrics are commonly used, they do not fully resolve issues of reliability. The instrument demonstrated strong internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.813) and validity (coefficient = 0.901), supporting the robustness of the findings. These results suggest that while essay assessment remains a vital component of higher education evaluation, systemic support is needed to address its practical limitations. The study contributes to assessment literature by highlighting the gap between perceived value and implementation challenges. Findings underscore the need for targeted professional development and institutional policies to enhance the quality, fairness, and efficiency of essay-based evaluation.
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