Please Professor, I want some more

By Chris Parr. 'Grade grubbing' may be on increase as student entitlement grows in high-fees era. How often have you handed a freshly marked paper back to an expectant student only for their face to drop as they realise they have not been awarded the grade they expected? And how often has that student then pursued you to your office, teary-eyed, to plead with you to change the grade, or to add a few marks on the sly?
The process of "grade grubbing", whereby students seek to appeal the marks they have been given using unofficial channels, happens across the world. However, there has been little research into how widespread the practice is in the UK, prompting Steph Allen, a researcher studying for a doctorate at the University of Southampton's School of Education, to investigate. Read more...