Students' perception of frequent assessments and its relation to motivation and grades in a statistics course: a pilot study

This pilot study measures university students' perceptions of graded frequent assessments in an obligatory statistics course using a novel questionnaire. Relations between perceptions of frequent assessments, intrinsic motivation and grades were also investigated. A factor analysis of the quest...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inAssessment and evaluation in higher education Vol. 42; no. 6; pp. 872 - 886
Main Authors Vaessen, Bram E., van den Beemt, Antoine, van de Watering, Gerard, van Meeuwen, Ludo W., Lemmens, Lex, den Brok, Perry
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Abingdon Routledge 18.08.2017
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Subjects
Academic grading
College Students
Componential Analysis
Educational psychology
Elementary school students
Factor Analysis
Foreign Countries
Frequent assessment
grades
Grades (Scholastic)
Incidence
intrinsic motivation
Likert Scales
Motivation
Outcomes of Education
Perceptions
Pilot Projects
Preferences
Questionnaires
Regression (Statistics)
Required Courses
Self Esteem
Self evaluation
Statistics
Stress
Stress Variables
Student Attitudes
Student Evaluation
Student Motivation
Students
Study Habits
Netherlands
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Summary:This pilot study measures university students' perceptions of graded frequent assessments in an obligatory statistics course using a novel questionnaire. Relations between perceptions of frequent assessments, intrinsic motivation and grades were also investigated. A factor analysis of the questionnaire revealed four factors, which were labelled value, formative function, positive effects and negative effects. The results showed that most students valued graded frequent assessments as a study motivator. A modest number of students experienced positive or negative effects from assessments and grades received. Less than half of the students used the results of frequent assessments in their learning process. The perception of negative effects (lower self-confidence and more stress) negatively mediated the relation between grades and intrinsic motivation. It is argued that communication with students regarding the purpose and benefits of frequent assessments could mitigate these negative effects.
ISSN:0260-2938
1469-297X
DOI:10.1080/02602938.2016.1204532