Assessment feedback in examiner reports on master's dissertations in translation studies
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-1-2020
Abstract
Assessment is a crucial part of degree programmes in higher education. While previous research has been primarily concerned with PhD thesis assessment practice in western countries, this article considers the focus and assessment criteria of 40 examiner reports on master's dissertations in translation studies at a Chinese university. The results indicate that these examiners structured their reports in four rhetorical moves: ‘preparing the candidate for a decision’, ‘expressing an evaluation’, ‘conveying the decision’, and ‘making recommendations’. These examiners appeared to place more emphasis on the expression of ideas, rather than on the accuracy and originality of those ideas. They apparently adopted flexible working criteria, assessing the dissertations based on institutional requirements and on their own experience. This article concludes with a discussion of implications for dissertation writing. © 2019 Elsevier Ltd
Keywords
Examiner reports, Assessment of master’s dissertations, Translation studies, Genre analysis, Assessment feedback, Academic writing
Divisions
FLL
Funders
Department of Education of Guangdong Province (grant number 2018JGXM42),Center for Translation Studies, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies (grant number CTS201716B)
Publication Title
Studies in Educational Evaluation
Volume
64
Publisher
Elsevier
Publisher Location
530 WALNUT ST, PHILADELPHIA, PA 19106-3621 USA