Academic oral presentation skills instructors' perceptions of the final project presentation rating scale used in Modern Languages Department at Middle East Technical University

Abstract

This study explored ENG 211 instructors’ perceptions of the final project presentation rating scale used in the Modern Languages Department at Middle East Technical University.In order to collect data, 25 ENG 211 instructors were asked to complete a questionnaire. Three rating questions in the questionnaire asked participants to evaluate how essential the rating scale categories are to them according to three different criteria: for distinguishing among strong and weak students, giving instructors feedback on the effectiveness of their instruction, and giving students feedback on various aspects of their oral presentation skills. Through two open-ended questions, positive and negative attributes of the rating scale, as perceived by the the participants, were investigated. Data collected from the rating questions were analyzed quantitatively by employing descriptive statistics, such as frequencies, means and standard deviations; data obtained from two open-ended questions were analyzed qualitatively The data results revealed that most of the rating scale categories were rated as ‘essential’ by the participants for all three rating questions. However, some categories were most commonly rated lower on the three questions. These categories had objectives that were not taught in ENG 211, were felt to be outside the control of ENG 211 instructors, or which instructors felt should have different overall values, and more clear descriptors. In addition, results obtained from the open-ended questions supported the results obtained from the rating questions.