Working hard but seemingly unappreciated

A colleague of mine was dumbfounded after getting back students’ evaluations of her class at the end of the term.  One of the items on the evaluation form (which came from the college administration) was:

• My instructor returned checked homework to me ____________.

1. a) always quickly  b) sometimes quickly    c) not quickly

All of her students circled (a) “always quickly” except two Japanese students who circled (c) “not quickly.”  This confused not only her, but also the rest of us who knew that she was especially diligent about checking assignments and returning them the very next class.

Why was there this disconnect between these students’ perception and reality?

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