Contributions from Türkiye on grade inflation in higher education. Educational landscapes before, during, and after COVID-19.

Autor/inn/en	Karadag, Engin; Cifti, S. Koza
Titel	Contributions from Türkiye on grade inflation in higher education. Educational landscapes before, during, and after COVID-19.
Quelle	In: Higher education, 91 (2026) 1, S. 1-22Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Link als defekt meldenVerfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	online; gedruckt; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0018-1560; 1573-174X
DOI	10.1007/s10734-025-01404-4
Schlagwörter	Lehre; Studium; Hochschule; Student; Ausland; Türkei
Abstract	Numerous reputable studies have reported a significant grade increase during the COVID-19 pandemic. These short-term increases cannot be attributed to student achievement, suggesting that the pandemic has precipitated grade inflation. In this study, we examine the temporary and permanent effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on grade inflation in higher education. We analyze 954,389 student grades for 16,962 courses taught by 5916 instructors in five universities in Türkiye over 6 years (12 semesters) before, during, and post the COVID-19 pandemic. Our findings indicate that the COVID-19 pandemic caused a marginal increase in grades in higher education and that this increase was primarily sustained post-pandemic. FD (0.5) and FF (0.0) grades decreased during and post-pandemic compared to the before-pandemic period, while the highest grade, AA (4.00), increased. Furthermore, we observed that grades in online courses, which became prevalent especially post-pandemic, were significantly higher than in face-to-face classes. Based on these results, we conclude that the COVID-19 pandemic has affected grade inflation in higher education. (HRK / Abstract übernommen).
Erfasst von	Hochschulrektorenkonferenz, Bonn
Update	2026/4