Improving Qualitative Assessment In Higher Education
type: CreativeWork
description: This dissertation considers in turn the role education plays in civil, democratic society; the role assessment plays in education; and the role theoretical constructs and cultural contexts play in assessment. Then, through literature review, document analysis, and interviews, the analysis investigates, identifies, and recommends grounded-theory-derived practices for improving qualitative assessment in higher education settings. The process of qualitative assessment is understood as being heuristic and continual, requiring re-examination and revision to maintain both its validity and reliability. To this end, rubrics are essential to efficiently and reliably assessing everything qualitative, whereas the realities of institutional culture and politics require adroit leadership from educators and administrators, drawing from manifest praxes in organizational theory, management theory, and political theory, to affect progressive change.
abstract: This dissertation considers in turn the role education plays in civil, democratic society; the role assessment plays in education; and the role theoretical constructs and cultural contexts play in assessment. Then, through literature review, document analysis, and interviews, the analysis investigates, identifies, and recommends grounded-theory-derived practices for improving qualitative assessment in higher education settings. The process of qualitative assessment is understood as being heuristic and continual, requiring re-examination and revision to maintain both its validity and reliability. To this end, rubrics are essential to efficiently and reliably assessing everything qualitative, whereas the realities of institutional culture and politics require adroit leadership from educators and administrators, drawing from manifest praxes in organizational theory, management theory, and political theory, to affect progressive change.
author: Russell, Chad Woodson
keywords: Assessment Methodology, Learning Outcomes, Program Administration, Qualitative Assessment, Rubrics, Validity, Higher Education
date published: 2013-01-01T08:00:00Z
date modified: 2026-07-24T03:05:43Z
provider: University of Mississippi
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: University of Mississippi