Expecting Immediate Grades

Qin Zhao,Jenni Redifer

doi:10.1177/2158244016646413

Abstract

Two experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of expecting immediate grades on numerical and verbal reasoning performance and the moderating role of achievement goals. Anticipated grade proximity (immediate vs. 1 week later) and goal orientation (approach vs. avoidance) were manipulated with instructions. Experiment 1 showed that expecting immediate grades yielded lower numerical performance than expecting delayed feedback, regardless of participants’ goal orientation. Neither grade proximity nor goal orientation impacted verbal performance. In Experiment 2, we used a stronger goal manipulation and included measures of motivation. Expecting immediate grades increased task anxiety, lowered task involvement, and lowered task effort among participants with avoidance goals, compared with expecting delayed grades. The effects on performance were not replicated in Experiment 2, however. The findings demonstrate that expecting immediate grades may have negative consequences under certain conditions, including demotivation and performance impairment.

Highlights

Does expecting an immediate grade enhance performance? The answer to this question has significant practical implications for teachers, coaches, employers, and anyone else responsible for evaluating others’ performance
Expecting immediate grades was expected to enhance the performance of individuals with other-approach goals but impair performance of individuals with other-avoidance goals
Higher approach scores were associated with higher performance prediction and numerical performance, which is in line with evidence of the positive effect of approach goals on motivation (Elliot, 1999)

Summary

Introduction

Does expecting an immediate grade enhance performance? The answer to this question has significant practical implications for teachers, coaches, employers, and anyone else responsible for evaluating others’ performance. Does expecting an immediate grade enhance performance? An early study by Nisan (1976) showed that expecting immediate grades resulted in poorer performance than expecting grades 1 week later. Two recent studies demonstrated that expecting immediate grades enhances task performance (Fajfar, Campitelli, & Labollita, 2012; Kettle & Häubl, 2010). Zhao, Zhang, and Vance (2013) reported that individual differences in beliefs about ability moderate the performance outcome of expecting immediate grades. Individuals with incremental beliefs about ability (i.e., those who viewed ability as malleable) performed better in anticipation of immediate grades, whereas individuals with entity beliefs (i.e., those who viewed ability as innate or fixed) performed worse. The main purpose of the study is to further examine the effect of expecting immediate grades and possible moderators of this effect

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