When students are aware of the exam grades of their peers, does this information affect their subsequent exam performance? For example, knowing that my friend scored a higher grade on Exam 1 than myself might motivate me to improve my performance on Exam 2, or might frustrate me such that I stop trying to catch up. We analyze whether students'…

The Critical Thinking Assessment Test (CAT) is a tool for evaluating students' critical thinking skills in various educational institutions within and outside the United States. While institutions regard the CAT as a high-stakes assessment, students may perceive it as a low-stakes test due to its lack of personal or academic repercussions. This…

In low-stakes testing contexts, there are minimal personal consequences associated with examinee performance. Examples include assessments administered for research, program evaluation, test development, and international comparisons (e.g., Programme for International Student Assessment [PISA]). Because test-taking motivation can suffer in…

This article reports on an intervention study conducted to improve young Thai learners' motivation and attitudes towards take-home tests. The traditional use of summative tests in education has often led to increased pressure and demotivation among students. Based on formative assessment practices and motivational strategies, the study aimed to…

Students who experience mathematics anxiety have long been suggested to engage in avoidance behaviors that negatively impact their mathematics performance. However, little is known about how these avoidance behaviors manifest for highly anxious students within the context of a mathematics course. Since the use of effortful study strategies has…

Students' test-taking motivation confounds test performance. This study examines students' conceptions of tests and test-taking motivation when different test consequences are at play. In a between-subjects experimental design, a sample of 479 New Zealand senior secondary school students were randomly assigned to one of the three vignette…

Grades are frequently understood as an output of the educational process. However, they may also be an input: receiving a midterm grade may affect student performance in the remainder of the semester. Utilizing a regression discontinuity design to isolate the causal impact of midterm grades on subsequent student performance in the same course, we…

In the first edition of this book, Dr. Liying Cheng provided an easy-to-follow guide to understanding language classroom assessment, from giving an overview of different forms of assessment to outlining assessment methods and procedures. The second edition of "Language Classroom Assessment" further explores language assessment, expanding…

To understand examinee motivation, researchers have used expectancy-value theory, which posits that examinee's perceived value of the test and self-efficacy in the test domain impact test-taking effort. Conclusions from studies designed to examine these relations may be premature given methodological issues, most notably, use of cross-sectional…

This paper investigated the effect of grade dropping on students' performance, engagement, and satisfaction. In three different engineering courses that were taught by the author, an optional second midterm exam was offered near the end of the semester. The optional second midterm exam covered materials that were not covered by the first midterm…

Students typically overestimate how well they will perform on future academic events, then lower those expectations as the event and performance feedback approach. According to control theories, individuals also shift from primary control strategies to secondary control strategies when the opportunity to exert direct influence over a performance…

Feedback is crucial in every step of education, and we provide feedback to students in order to help them to either understand or improve their performance if they wish to improve their skills and abilities. However, how or whether they can benefit depends on their response to that feedback. Thus, when they receive feedback, they ought to be…

Exams often trigger avoidance motivation and a tendency to withdraw; instead, an approach-oriented motivational state would be more desirable, since this encourages an invigorated and persistent approach to tasks. This study investigated the role of academic self-concept on the activation of relative approach versus avoidance motivation during the…

In the context of high-stakes qualifications, teachers may warn students of the negative consequences of failure as a tactic designed to increase engagement and, ultimately, achievement. Previous studies have shown that these types of messages, namely fear appeals, are indirectly related to engagement and achievement in different ways, depending…

Motivating students to watch pre-lesson videos to prepare for class is among the most significant challenges cited with flipped learning. We demonstrate boosting student preparation by up to 29% by implementing start-of-lesson quizzes. This is shown through the comparison of a flipped control group without the quizzes to flipped experimental…