Proceedings of The 7th International Conference on Research in Teaching and Education
Year: 2023
DOI:
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Repeated Quizzes and Students’ Performance: Do Grades Incentives Matter?
Ndodjang Ngantchou Peguy
ABSTRACT:
We investigate the effects of grade incentives on study effort, study time, and final exam outcomes. To do so, we conducted an experiment where repeated quizzes were graded or not according to the treatment. Additionally, we compared the scores and time dedicated by students to prepare for these quizzes. These repeated quizzes occurred in the classroom under a realistic exam condition to prevent any collaboration among students. In line with the incentive theory, we found that the presence of incentives led to a higher level of effort exerted by students. Both study time and scores were also found to be higher in the treatment group that received grades. Surprisingly, however, we observed that the final exam score was higher in the group that did not receive incentives. This outcome suggests that graded quizzes do not always result in improved student performance. Repeated quizzes conducted in the classroom environment appear to be an effective intervention for enhancing students’ learning outcomes, even without the use of grade incentives.
Keywords: Grades incentives, Repeated quizzes, Student effort, Study time, Student performance