“I Know I'll Get an A”: Confident Overestimation of Final Course Grades

1994 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 141-143 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vincent Prohaska
Keyword(s):  
Grade Point Averages ◽  
Grading Practices ◽  
Grade Point ◽  
Course Grades ◽  
Final Grades ◽  
Confidence Ratings ◽  
Advanced Courses

Undergraduates enrolled in advanced courses in psychology estimated their final course grades at the beginning of the semester. Estimates were collected before students received information about instructors’ requirements and grading practices. Students were grouped by their cumulative grade point averages (GPAs) from the previous semester. Differences were observed in estimated and actual grades earned. Low-GPA subjects showed the greatest overestimation of their final grades. Although high-GPA students did not significantly overestimate their grades, almost 50% of their estimates were over estimations. Confidence ratings were also collected. High-GPA students were significantly more confident about their estimates than were low-GPA students, perhaps indicating that low-GPA students possessed some awareness that their estimates were inaccurate.

scholarly journals Supplemental Instruction: Understanding Academic Assistance in Underrepresented Groups

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erin Michelle Buchanan ◽  
Kathrene D Valentine ◽  
Michael Frizell
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Student Retention ◽  
Graduation Rates ◽  
Supplemental Instruction ◽  
Grade Point Averages ◽  
Retention Rates ◽  
Grade Point ◽  
Academic Assistance ◽  
Course Grades ◽  
Comparison Groups

Student retention rates are increasingly important in higher education. Higher education institutions have adopted various programs in the hopes of increasing graduation rates and grade point averages (GPAs). One of the most effective attempts at improvement has been the Supplemental Instruction (SI) program. We examined our SI program on three facets: attendance, attendance’s influence on final scores, and graduation rates for students who had participated in these courses. These questions were also investigated focusing on specific comparison groups, as we looked into how these effects differed for Minority students and nontraditional students, when compared to their White and traditional peers. Overall, SI attendance led to positive outcomes: increased final course grades and graduation rates, even after adjusting for previous achievement.

Assessment Practices of Secondary Music Teachers

2010 ◽  
Vol 58 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-54 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua A. Russell ◽  
James R. Austin
Keyword(s):  
Music Teachers ◽  
Sampling Error ◽  
The United States ◽  
Grading Practices ◽  
Grade Point ◽  
Main Research ◽  
Administrative Guidance ◽  
Letter Grades ◽  
Course Grades ◽  
Secondary Music

The purpose of this study was to survey assessment and grading practices employed by secondary music teachers throughout the southwestern region of the United States. Three main research questions guided the study: (1) What types of school district frameworks and classroom contexts are secondary music teachers operating within? (2) Which specific assessment and grading practices are employed most commonly by secondary music teachers? (3) Do any contextual or individual difference variables influence secondary music teachers’ assessment and grading practices? Two mailings yielded 352 total usable questionnaires (36%) with a sampling error of +/—5%. Participants reported that their school districts emphasized letter grades and that music course grades were equally weighted with other course grades in calculating student grade point averages and generating credit toward graduation. Yet, music teachers seldom received administrative guidance or altered assessment approaches due to standards-based curriculum adoption. Participants based grades on a combination of achievement and non-achievement criteria, with non-achievement criteria receiving greater weight in determining grades. Although instructional time, number of students taught, and number of concert performances prepared/ given had no substantive relationship with assessment decisions, grading practices were influenced by teaching level and teaching specialization.

scholarly journals Are International Undergraduates Struggling Academically?

2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 60-73
Author(s):  
Barry Fass-Holmes ◽  
Allison A. Vaughn
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Hierarchical Linear Modeling ◽  
American West ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Public University ◽  
Grade Point Averages ◽  
Linear Modeling ◽  
Grade Point ◽  
Course Grades ◽  
Language Classes

Are international undergraduates struggling academically, and are their struggles due to weaknesses in English as a second language? The present study showed that 1) at most 10% of these students in three cohorts (ranging in size from N=322 to N=695) at an American west coast public university struggled (quarterly grade point averages below C) in their university classes; 2) up to 63% of them struggled with English (they were required to take a local community college’s English Composition and/or English as a Second Language classes, and up to 42% earned course grades of D or F in those classes); and 3) predictors shown to be statistically significant by hierarchical linear modeling each accounted for less than 5% of the total variance (“small” effect sizes). These findings suggest that only a minority of this university’s international undergraduates struggle in their university classes even though a majority of them struggle with English.

Further Research on the Accuracy of Students' Self-Reported Grade Point Averages, Sat Scores, and Course Grades

1994 ◽  
Vol 79 (2) ◽  
pp. 743-746 ◽  
Author(s):  
Veronique G. Frucgt ◽  
Gail Lynn Cook
Keyword(s):  
Grade Point Averages ◽  
Sat Scores ◽  
Grade Point ◽  
Academic Achievements ◽  
Course Grades ◽  
Course Work ◽  
Other Information ◽  
Average Students ◽  
Upper Level

Previous research indicates that, although students' self-reported and actual GPAs and SAT scores are correlated, on average, students overestimate these data. This study extended prior research by surveying 132 mostly upper-level students and by including other information (grades in selected prior course work). Our results provide further evidence that students overestimate their past academic achievements.

Changing Social Contexts to Foster Equity in College Science Courses: An Ecological-Belonging Intervention

2020 ◽  
Vol 31 (9) ◽  
pp. 1059-1070 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin R. Binning ◽  
Nancy Kaufmann ◽  
Erica M. McGreevy ◽  
Omid Fotuhi ◽  
Susie Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Contexts ◽  
Grade Point Averages ◽  
Grade Point ◽  
Science Courses ◽  
College Science ◽  
Diverse Classrooms ◽  
Course Grades ◽  
Underperforming Students ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Business As Usual

In diverse classrooms, stereotypes are often “in the air,” which can interfere with learning and performance among stigmatized students. Two studies designed to foster equity in college science classrooms ( Ns = 1,215 and 607) tested an intervention to establish social norms that make stereotypes irrelevant in the classroom. At the beginning of the term, classrooms assigned to an ecological-belonging intervention engaged in discussion with peers around the message that social and academic adversity is normative and that students generally overcome such adversity. Compared with business-as-usual controls, intervention students had higher attendance, course grades, and 1-year college persistence. The intervention was especially impactful among historically underperforming students, as it improved course grades for ethnic minorities in introductory biology and for women in introductory physics. Regardless of demographics, attendance in the intervention classroom predicted higher cumulative grade point averages 2 to 4 years later. The results illustrate the viability of an ecological approach to fostering equity and unlocking student potential.

Delivery mode and strategic management simulation outcomes

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey W. Alstete ◽  
Nicholas J. Beutell
Keyword(s):  
Strategic Management ◽  
Business Students ◽  
Grade Point Averages ◽  
Delivery Mode ◽  
Actual Performance ◽  
Grade Point ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Capstone Course ◽  
Simulation Performance ◽  
Course Grades

Purpose The purpose of this study is to analyze learning assurance measures derived from a business simulation as part of capstone business strategy courses delivered via distance learning (DL) compared to traditional classroom (on-ground [OG]) delivery modes using experiential learning theory. Design/methodology/approach A sample of 595 undergraduate capstone business students from 21 course sections taught over a four-year period in a medium-sized private master’s level college is investigated. Variables included learning assurance measures from a competitive online simulation (GLO-BUS), gender, business degree major, capstone course grades and cumulative grade point averages. The analytic strategy included correlations, linear regressions, multiple regressions and multivariate analyses of variance. Findings Results reveal that there are significant differences in learning assurance report (LAR) scores, gender differences and differences between academic majors based on delivery mode (OG versus DL). Simulation performance was higher for DL students, although the relationship between simulation performance and final course grades was not significantly different for OG and DL cohorts. Research limitations/implications To the best of the authors’ knowledge, implications for courses, programs, curricula and learning assessment are considered. The strengths (actual performance measures) and potential limitations (e.g. possible deficiency of measures) of LAR scores are discussed. Originality/value This research compares OG and DL modes for strategic management course outcomes using direct assessments, including simulation learning assurance measures, student characteristics, capstone course grades and student grade point averages.

scholarly journals Learning Skills Workshops Supporting First-Year Courses

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
pp. 119-128
Author(s):  
Sheilagh Grills
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Student Services ◽  
Grade Point Averages ◽  
First Year ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Learning Skills ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Grade Point ◽  
Introductory Course ◽  
Course Grades

Student Services support, including learning skills assistance, can be integral in empowering learners.  First-year students are expected to be self-directed in their learning, yet may have neither been challenged nor experienced negative consequences for a lack of perseverance. Academic skills professionals can be partners with teaching faculty in student success by helping to build transferable learning skills, especially for high-fail introductory courses. In this paper, I report on supplementary workshops developed to target fundamental skills with course-specific examples.  This partnership included incentivizing academic support with both carrots and sticks; instructors in introductory biology strongly urged students receiving D grades or below on the first test to approach Student Services for support, while sociology faculty incorporated workshop attendance into the introductory course with participation grades. Following such incentivizing of learning skills, workshop attendance increased by 45%. In both courses, first test scores and high school averages for students attending workshops did not differ from students not attending workshops. However, students who attended learning skills workshops had significantly higher course grades, persistence, sessional grade point averages (GPAs), and cumulative GPAs than students not attending workshops. Controlling for high school average, each learning skills workshop attended was associated with a 0.11 to 0.27 increase in sessional GPA on a 4.3 point scale. 

Changes in Scores on California Psychological Inventory among Seminarians: What Happened to the Class of ′68?

1979 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 129-130 ◽  
Author(s):  
William T. Query
Keyword(s):  
Grade Point Averages ◽  
California Psychological Inventory ◽  
Grade Point ◽  
Follow Up Study ◽  
Psychological Inventory

To test the hypothesis that ministers' family milieu fosters mixed masculine-feminine traits, a 10-yr. follow-up study was conducted where seminarians were retested with the California Psychological Inventory. Among the seminarians, 28 were ordained and 6 were not. Support was obtained for the hypothesis. Grade point averages were significantly higher among the ordained. This study is restricted to Catholic seminarians; making a good impression became important after ordination, not before; three scales which were significant among Protestant seminarians in previous research were not found in this study, suggesting dissimilarity among denominations.

Prediction of Grade Point Averages Using Cognitive and Noncognitive Predictor Variables

1973 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 143-148 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cheryl L. Reed ◽  
John F. Feldhusen ◽  
Adrian P. Van Mondfrans
Keyword(s):  
Nursing Students ◽  
Associate Degree Nursing ◽  
Associate Degree ◽  
Practical Experience ◽  
Grade Point Averages ◽  
School Level ◽  
Validation Sample ◽  
Grade Point ◽  
First Semester ◽  
Noncognitive Variables

This study investigated the usefulness of a number of noncognitive variables in improving the prediction of students' first semester, second semester, and first-year grade point averages. Freshman nursing students entering five associate degree nursing schools between 1964 and 1967 ( N = 495) were used as the validation sample. The cross-validation sample included the 1968 ( N = 170) entrants. When added to a battery of established cognitive predictors, several noncognitive variables added a unique and significant increment to the prediction of grade point averages in associate degree nursing programs. These variables were: age in months of the student, year of entry into nursing school, level of previous education of the student, and the particular school attended. These results encourage future studies in search of new noncognitive variables to improve prediction. Measures of a student's past health and practical experience might be worthy of future study.

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