PERSONALITY, ACADEMIC, AND MOTIVATIONAL ASPECTS OF STUDENT PREFERENCE FOR GRADING SYSTEMS
AbstractIn colleges and universities that have pass-fail grading options the majority of the students do not use the option. Four studies were done to determine what types of students use pass-fail options. Three studies showed that student survey preferences for pass-fail grading were related to attitudes about the usefulness of grades and motivation to succeed via grades but not to past success with grades, past experience with pass-fail grading, or personality measures. A fourth study involved real student decisions. Differences between students that selected a new system and those that selected the traditional system were found on the flexibility scale of the California Psychological Inventory.