Does the anticipation of a merit grade motivate vocational test‐takers?

Abstract

This study explores whether the anticipation of a graded (merit, pass, fail) test outcome rather than a binary (pass, fail) form of feedback influenced the motivation of learners taking a vocationally related test. Ninety‐four students currently taking a vocationally related qualification were divided into control and experimental groups. Each student completed two matched tests, approximately one week apart, having been told in advance whether their results were to be reported in a binary or graded manner. Following each test a self‐report measure of their motivation was collected through the use of a questionnaire based on an Expectancy–Value model of motivation. This paper reports on the statistical analysis of the questionnaire data exploring whether there were any motivational differences between participants’ responses to the grading situations. It also investigates whether there were any differences in test scores between the groups, since theory suggests that motivation is an important factor in performance outcomes.

Acknowledgements

The author would like to thank John F. Bell for his advice and help with the statistical analysis for this study.

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