First-year students’ appraisal of assessment tasks: implications for efficacy, engagement and performance

Abstract

This study investigated students’ appraisals of assessment tasks and the impact of this on both their task-related efficacy and engagement and subsequent task performance. Two hundred and fifty-seven first-year students rated their experience of an assessment task (essay, oral presentation, laboratory report or exam) that they had previously completed. First-year students evaluated these assessment tasks in terms of two general factors: the motivational value of the task and its manageability. Students’ evaluations were consistent across a range of characteristics and level of academic achievement. Students’ evaluations of motivational value generally predict their engagement and their evaluations of task manageability generally predict their sense of task efficacy. Engagement was a significant predictor of task performance (viz. actual mark) for exam and laboratory report tasks but not for essay-based tasks. Findings are discussed in terms of the implications for assessment design and management.

Keywords:

• first-year assessment
• appraisal of assessment
• student efficacy

Acknowledgement

This study was funded by a grant from the Australian Learning and Teaching Council.