An Individual or a Group Grade: Exploring Reward Structures and Motivation for Learning
Abstract
From a student perspective, grades are a central part in the educational experience. In an effort to learn more about student motivation for learning and grades, this study was designed to examine student reactions to the opportunity to choose between the traditional individual grading structure and a group grading structure where all students would receive a single grade. Theoretical frameworks related to learning, peer influence, and the process of decision making set the foundation for this study, which used qualitative methods to observe and analyze the responses of 11 classes to the proposition. The decision of the 11 classes was consistent with the literature on decision-making processes: Each class opted to keep the traditional grading structure. However, the fact that more than half of students in each class were willing to adopt a group grading structure was unexpected. The implications of this research will be useful for designing educational environments and future studies on student motivations for learning.
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