Using ‘happy’ or ‘sad’ face in a decision-making grid to motivate students to improve academic success

Abstract

A modified Decision-Making Grid was designed to collect data from students enrolled in Principles of Microeconomics classes. The students recorded their expected grade and learning tactics intended for each academic exercise throughout the course period. They earned a ‘happy’ or ‘sad’ face to signify positive or negative divergence of actual grade from expected grade. The Antecedent-Behavior-Consequence (ABC) model of Behavior Modification theory was adopted to study students’ academic behavior. Regression Results from 154 participants with 60 students as Grid users and 94 students as non-Grid users show statistically significant results supporting the hypotheses that: (1) self-motivation is positively impacted by intended activities leading behaviors towards achieving academic success; (2) self-motivation, and consequence of the behavior contribute positively to academic performance; and (3) the Grid users outperformed the non-Grid users in each of the assignments.