2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

This WIP paper explores the utility of Expectancy Value Theory as a theoretical framework for studying the influence of grades on undergraduate engineering students.

Grades have long served as indicators of ability and intelligence, functioning as a gatekeeper for educational experiences and opportunities. Categorization or quantification of intelligence or ability has been identified to be problematic and inequitable in many ways, and for this reason new assessment practices are emerging in education and education research spaces. However, the practice of assigning grades to students remains central to the vast majority of educational systems.

A recent literature review revealed that there is limited research published that explores student’s perceptions of grades and grading systems as it impacts their own educational experiences and opportunities. What research has been done to explore grade and grading practices through student lenses has revealed conflicting feelings about grades. Students are consistently identifying the shortcomings of grades and grading systems, but also simultaneously acknowledging the utility of grades as forms of feedback on learning and motivators in educational settings. We expanded our exploration of students' perspectives of grades and their purpose in higher education by data scraping from Reddit forums for college students, which further solidified the centralization of grades to students’ education experiences - specifically the needs, desires, and drive for “good” grades by students navigating educational environments and experiences.

This work in progress submission will begin to explore how the centralization of grades to students’ experiences in college - specifically early years in college - act as a mediator and a motivator in students’ decision-making regarding habits, behaviors, resource allocation, etc. when navigating their college education. We specifically explore the use and alignment of expectancy value theory as a theoretical framework for the exploration of the influence of grades on engineering students’ academic decisions.

The research that follows this Work in Progress paper will provide a deeper insight into the influence that the assigning of grades has on the motivation and decision making of engineering students. These insights may serve as impetus for first-year and middle-year engineering learning environments that focus primarily on the learning process (design courses, project-based courses, etc.) potentially minimizing the unproductive impacts that grades may have on engineering students’ motivation, self-esteem, identity, and persistence in the field.