Student Perspectives
Running head: STUDENT PERSPECTIVES
Student Perspectives on Grade Changes from Test to Test
Baron Perlman and Lee I. McCann
University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh
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Student Perspectives
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Abstract
We surveyed undergraduate psychology students whose exam grades
had gone up or down a minimum of one full letter grade from one exam to
the next. We asked about their perceptions of how their studying and
preparation differed for each exam. These data may be useful for students
and assist faculty in advising about better exam preparation and
performance.
Student Perspectives
Student Perspectives on Grade Changes from Test to Test
When students want to improve their exam performance what
should faculty tell them? We found no information about influences on
student test performance in popular teaching books (e.g., Davis, 1993;
McKeachie, 1999) and few empirical studies investigating the relationship
between student classroom behavior (e.g., lecture notes; Baker &
Lombardi,1985) or external influences on students (e.g., life events; De
Meuse,1985) and exam performance.
Equally or more important, when faculty give such advice, how do
they maximize the probability that students will follow through on their
suggestions? "Letters to Successors" (Brookfield, 1995) is a technique
whereby, at the end of a semester, students list what it is essential to
know and do to survive or succeed in the course, and the instructor
presents this information to students the next time the course is taught.
This student perspective may be more influential than faculty advice. We
used a variation of this method to seek student perspectives on the
specific issue of how their studying and preparation influence exam
performance.
Method
Participants
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Eleven of 12 full-time faculty members in a regional public
university sampled undergraduate students whose exam score went up or
down substantively (at least one full letter grade) in their psychology
courses (n = 26) during the Fall 1998 and Spring 1999 semesters.
Participants were 340 students (165 first year, 175 sophomores, juniors,
and seniors; 218 women, 122 men). Most students (n = 246) were
enrolled in General Psychology, 94 in sophomore and upper level
courses.
Questionnaire
Students responded to a questionnaire (based on our own and
departmental colleagues’ teaching experiences) that listed 19 behaviors
that might improve and 17 that might negatively affect test performance;
students could add “other” responses. We asked for students’ gender,
year in college, and course level (first year, second, third, or fourth). The
questionnaire took 5 min to complete.
Procedure
Faculty identified students whose exam scores had gone up or
down at least one full letter grade (e.g., not a C+ to a B-). Faculty had the
freedom to decide whether that definition was too lenient (i.e., a student's
full letter grade change was not a substantive one based on the faculty
member's grading criteria). For each student with a substantive grade
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change, faculty highlighted a column on the questionnaire to indicate
whether the student "did better" or "did worse," and distributed
questionnaires before or after class. Students returned the questionnaire
in sealed envelopes to the instructor or department secretary (name and
office number listed). Students checked all items they thought contributed
to their exam grade as compared to the previous test and identified the
one item they believed most important in explaining their grade change.
Faculty instructed students to participate only once, and one item asked
students to check if they had filled out the questionnaire previously in this
or another course.
After the second exam faculty told all students:
I am assisting in a study to determine what factors contribute to a
student doing better or worse on exams. We hope the information
you provide will help us to better advise students in the future. This
study is optional; you do not have to participate. All data are
confidential and your responses cannot be attached to your name.
There is potential benefit to participating. In reading the list of
behaviors related to test grades, you may get ideas on how to do
better in this course. By turning in this brief questionnaire, you
agree to participate in the research.
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We could not sample students in courses with only two exams
because students typically took the second exam on the last day of class.
We used courses that had three (n = 7, 27%) or four exams (n = 19, 73%),
comparing students’ performance from the first to second or second to
third test. Exams varied from all multiple choice to all essay.
Results
Of 550 questionnaires distributed, 419 were returned (76%). We
discarded 79 (student filled one out previously, n = 43; missing
demographic information, n = 24; students checked items in both the "did
better” and "did worse” columns, n = 8; or students who did better checked
“did worse” items or vice versa, n = 4). The useable response rate was
62%; we do not have response rate data separated by better or worse
exam grades. Students listed significantly more reasons for test grades
going up (M = 5.1, SD = 1.2, range = 1 to 12) than down (M = 4.1, SD =
2.0, range = 1 to 12), t(338) = 4.95, p < .01.
We expected more data for students whose grades had risen than
fallen because many students improve as a course progresses, and
almost 70% of the useable sample did involve exam grades going up (n =
236, 81 men, 155 women; 124 first year, 112 sophomores, juniors, or
seniors; 184 enrolled in General Psychology, 52 in second third and
fourthyear courses). We compared men and women, first-year students
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with all others, and General Psychology with students in other courses for
the (a) 10 most frequently checked behaviors for test scores rising and (b)
most frequently checked “most important” items. We used a Bonferroni
correction (Hays, 1988) to minimize Type I error and a significance level of
.05. None of the 40 chi square analyses were significant, indicating that
gender, course level, and year in school were not related to perceived
reasons for doing better. We present overall data in Table 1.
____________________
Insert Table 1 about here
____________________
Students identified studying more hours (n = 38, 16%) as the single
most important behavior in improved exam performance, followed by
reading more carefully (n = 37, 16%), using the study guide more (n = 24,
10%), and reading material more times (n = 14, 6%). Students rated 19
other behaviors as a "most important" perceived influence on raised exam
scores.
Just over 30% of the useable sample (n = 104) returned
questionnaires for falling exam grades (41 men, 63 women; 43 first year,
61 sophomores, juniors or seniors; 62 enrolled in General Psychology, 42
in second, third, and fourthyear courses). We again used a Bonferroni
correction to minimize Type I error. None of 33 chi square analyses for the
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10 most frequently checked behaviors related to test scores falling or for
most frequently checked “most important” items were significant (p < .05),
indicating that gender, course level, and year in school were not related to
perceived reasons for doing worse. We present lowered grade data in
Table 2.
____________________
Insert Table 2 about here
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The single most important behavior related to a poorer test grade
was studying fewer hours (n = 22, 21%), followed by personal problems or
crises (n = 10, 10%). Students rated 17 other behaviors as a "most
important" perceived influence on falling test performance.
Discussion
In most cases, the data complement accepted faculty wisdom on
this topic. Some students perceive studying harder as related to rising test
grades and less studying to lower grades. But more is going on.
We were surprised by some of the results. Students did not rate
some behaviors faculty might expect to affect test grades (e.g., regularly
attending class, easier or interesting course material, tests due at the
same time) as doing so. Also, students' perceptions did not differ based on
year in school, gender, or course level for either rising or falling grades.
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These findings suggest that the data in Tables 1 and 2 provide good
overall lists of what "to do" and "not to do" when studying for exams for
any student. Another surprise was that the data did not support student
helplessness and lack of control over exam performance as explanations
for doing better or worse. We found few comments such as “I don’t know
what happened" or "I studied the same way, my grade just went down.”
Sharing these student perceptions may help all students maximize
exam performance, and they may be useful when faculty advise individual
students. Because many behaviors perceived as related to exam
performance seem independent of any specific course or teacher behavior
(e.g., life crises, hours worked), faculty should emphasize to students that
problems with exam performance, or strategies to improve them, may
have effects beyond the current course, influencing academic
performance throughout a student's educational career.
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References
Baker, L., & Lombardi, B. R. (1985). Students’ lecture notes and
their relation to test performance. Teaching of Psychology, 12, 28-32.
Brookfield, S. D. (1995). Becoming a critically reflective teacher.
San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Davis, B. G. (1993). Tools for teaching. San Francisco: JosseyBass.
De Meuse, K. P. (1985). The relationship between life events and
indices of classroom performance. Teaching of Psychology, 12, 146-149.
Hays, W. L. (1988). Statistics (4th ed.). New York: Harcourt Brace
Jovanovich.
McKeachie, W. J. (1999). Teaching tips: Strategies, research and
theory for college and university teachers (10th ed.). Boston: Houghton
Mifflin.
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Note
1. This article is based on a poster presented at the 23rd Annual National
Institute on the Teaching of Psychology, January 2001, St. Petersburg
Beach, FL.
2. We gratefully acknowledge the assistance of our students and
departmental colleagues.
3. A copy of the questionnaire is available from the authors.
4. Send correspondence to Baron Perlman, Department of Psychology,
University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh, WI 54901; e-mail:
perlman@uwosh.edu.
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Table 1
Contributions to Improved Examination Grades
___________________________________________________________
Reason
N (%)a
___________________________________________________________
Studied more hours
156 (66)
Read the book/text/readings more carefully
154 (66)
Studied in a quiet environment, few interruptions
117 (50)
Used the study guide more
75 (32)
Read the text/readings more times
72 (31)
Took better lecture notes
54 (23)
Took notes on readings, had not before
42 (18)
Cut back on time socializing/partying
41 (17)
Got lecture notes I missed from someone
31 (13)
Made flashcards
27 (11)
Studied with someone, had not before
25 (11)
Worked fewer hours at part- or full-time job
18 (8)
Easier/more interesting material, understood the
material betterb
Talked with the instructor, clarified how and what to study
18 (8)
17 (7)
(table continues)
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___________________________________________________________
N (%)a
Reason
___________________________________________________________
Came to class more regularly
16 (7)
Family/personal crisis or problem resolved
13 (6)
Different approach to studying (not defined) b
12 (5)
Reviewed the last exam
10 (4)
Lower stress level, more sleepb
7 (3)
Worked with a tutor
6 (3)
Studied lecture notes more carefullyb
5 (2)
Began using university support services (e.g., Reading
Center, Writing Center)
4 (2)
Paid more attention in classb
3 (1)
Bought the text, had not had it previously
2 (1)
Other classes did not take time awayb
2 (1)
___________________________________________________________
a Based
on 236 students’ responses.
bAdded
by students under the “other” category.
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Table 2
Contributions to Worse Examination Grades
___________________________________________________________
Reason
N (%)a
___________________________________________________________
Studied fewer hours
62 (60)
Read the book/text/readings less carefully
50 (48)
Read the text/readings fewer times
43 (41)
Family/personal crisis or problem interfered
32 (31)
Missed more classes
27 (26)
Missing lecture notes
27 (26)
Studied in a noisy environment, many interruptions
24 (23)
Worked more hours at part- or full-time job
24 (23)
Spent more time socializing/partying
22 (21)
Used the study guide less
21 (20)
Took worse lecture notes
19 (18)
Did not make flashcards this time
14 (14)
Stopped taking notes on readings
14 (14)
(table continues)
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___________________________________________________________
N (%)a
Reason
___________________________________________________________
Took notes on reading, did not help and took time
away from more productive studying
8 (8)
Other tests/assignments due at the same timeb
6 (6)
Studied with someone, actually was a hindrance
5 (5)
No book, did not read the bookb
4 (4)
Less straight forward test questions, more difficult materialb
4 (4)
Do not know, studied the sameb
3 (3)
Stopped studying with someone
2 (2)
Missed class due to extracurricular activityb
2 (2)
Took different kind of notes on readingb
1 (1)
Could not finish test on timeb
1 (1)
Distracted in classb
1 (1)
Studied wrong information, did not know what to focus on b
1 (1)
Other: lack of sleep, did not feel like studying, could not
stay on task, too much TVb
4 (4)
___________________________________________________________
a Based
on 104 students’ responses.
bAdded
by students under the “other” category.