The effects of grades on course enjoyment: did you get the grade you wanted?

Abstract

Students tend to rate university courses more positively if they do well. Greenwald and Gillmore (1997a) suggested that it is not students' absolute grades that are important but rather how these grades compare to their expectations. However, this hypothesis is difficult to evaluate because few studies have measured grade expectations at the beginning of courses. By measuring students' grade expectations and enjoyment at several stages during a course, we hoped to evaluate the extent to which expectations modulate the impact of grades on course enjoyment. Participants were 242 students in a university course in psychology. Students were asked what grades they expected, and how much they were enjoying the course, at four stages. The effect of grades and grade expectations on enjoyment were analysed using restricted maximum likelihood (REML) and regression analyses. The best predictor of course enjoyment varied somewhat at different stages, but in general it was the extent to which students' grades surpassed their expectations. Students' expectations at the beginning of the course proved particularly influential. Grade expectations do influence how students react to course grades, but the prominent role of pre-course expectations suggests that it may be important to distinguish between grade aspirations and grade expectations. It appears to be students' aspirations--the grades they hope to achieve--that most strongly shape their emotional reactions, rather than the more realistic expectations they may form later in a course.