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The effect of effort grading on learning

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  • Swinton, Omari H.

Abstract

In the fall of 2004, Benedict College - a Historically Black College in Columbia, SC - began enforcing a new grading policy called Success Equals Effort (SE2). Under this policy, students taking freshman and sophomore level courses were assigned grades that explicitly rewarded not only content learning ("knowledge" grade) but also measures of effort ("effort" grade). This paper examines the effects of effort grading using two stage least squares and fixed effect estimates. I find evidence of a strong positive correlation between "effort" grades and "knowledge" grades. Under some restrictions this relationship can be interpreted as "effort" producing "knowledge".

Suggested Citation

  • Swinton, Omari H., 2010. "The effect of effort grading on learning," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 29(6), pages 1176-1182, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecoedu:v:29:y:2010:i:6:p:1176-1182
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Dobkin, Carlos & Gil, Ricard & Marion, Justin, 2010. "Skipping class in college and exam performance: Evidence from a regression discontinuity classroom experiment," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 29(4), pages 566-575, August.
    2. David Romer, 1993. "Do Students Go to Class? Should They?," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 7(3), pages 167-174, Summer.
    3. Betts, Julian R. & Grogger, Jeff, 2003. "The impact of grading standards on student achievement, educational attainment, and entry-level earnings," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 22(4), pages 343-352, August.
    4. Omari Swinton, 2007. "Grading For Effort: The Success Equals Effort Policy At Benedict College," The Review of Black Political Economy, Springer;National Economic Association, vol. 34(1), pages 149-164, June.
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    Cited by:

    1. Darren Grant & William Green, 2013. "Grades as incentives," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 44(3), pages 1563-1592, June.
    2. Smita Ramnarain & Anna Santucci, 2025. "Bringing Radical Assessment into Radical Political Economy: An Ungrading Experience," Review of Radical Political Economics, Union for Radical Political Economics, vol. 57(3), pages 445-462, September.
    3. Ballis, Briana & Lusher, Lester & Martorell, Paco, 2022. "The effects of exam frames on student effort and performance," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 90(C).
    4. Cid, Alejandro & Cabrera, José María, 2012. "Joint Liability vs. Individual Incentives in the Classroom. Lessons from a Field Experiment with Undergraduate Students," MPRA Paper 39907, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    5. Alejandro Cid & José María Cabrera, 2023. "The Use of Innovative Incentives in the Classroom to Explore the Impact of Peer Monitoring on Academic Achievements," Documentos de Trabajo/Working Papers 2306, Facultad de Ciencias Empresariales y Economia. Universidad de Montevideo..
    6. Gourley, Patrick, 2021. "Back to basics: How reading the text and taking notes improves learning," International Review of Economics Education, Elsevier, vol. 37(C).

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