Learning and education · 1 min read
A message of encouragement did not change first-exam grades
Average grades for more than 15,000 university students in Hungary did not improve. In a voluntary survey, confidence rose slightly.
The study, in plain language
Shortly before an exam, the university sent a message recognizing past achievements and expressing confidence in the student’s ability. Each student was randomly assigned to receive it before one of their exams. The other exam served as a comparison.
Average grades on the first exam showed no detectable improvement. Among those who answered the voluntary surveys, confidence about taking the exam rose slightly. Motivation increased before the first exam but not the second, and anxiety did not change detectably. The comparison separated exam grades from what people reported before the test.
The key idea
The message did not improve average grades on the first exam, but confidence rose among those who answered the survey.
Something to think about
Feeling more confident and earning a higher grade do not always go together. The next time someone encourages you before an exam, you can take it as support, not a prediction.
The original study
Not just words! Effects of a light-touch randomized encouragement intervention on students’ exam grades, self-efficacy, motivation, and test anxiety
Source under CC BY 4.0. English adaptation and explanation by PaperFlow, with AI assistance. The text has been reorganized for a general audience; it is not the complete paper and does not imply endorsement by its authors.
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