"But I worked so hard:" Perceptions of effort and reward in the academic environment
Abstract
There is a huge disparity between instructor and student perceptions regarding the role of effort and performance in college. The role and emphasis of effort and performance changes as students progress through their academic careers. This ‘break’ in the progression indicates that there is a developmental breakdown somewhere between Middle School and High School.
Description
ROLE OF EFFORT AND REWARD FROM PRIMARY SCHOOL TO SECONDARY SCHOOL •There is a huge disparity between instructor and student perceptions regarding the role of effort and performance in college •Instructors place a much greater weight on performance versus effort, in comparison to students •Instructors feel that to earn an A, students should put forth much more time (in hours studied) per week than students •Instructors think that students‟ total weekly amount of time spent on school work is higher than student perceptions(Zinn,2008 ; Adams, 2005) •The role and emphasis of effort and performance changes as students progress through their academic careers •Elementary School •The relationship between the role of effort and ability is related to age (Benbowet al., 2008) •In elementary school, children are reinforced for their effort because they are learning skills. •Grading systems are primitive: ; •Middle School •Teachers reward students for mastering skills and overall improvement(Kelly, 2008) •Grading system also reflects this change in emphasis to product