The effects of grades on course enjoyment: Did you get the grade you wanted?

Background. Students tend to rate university courses more positively if the y do well. Greenwald and Gillmore (1997a) suggested that it is not students ' absolute grades that are important but rather how these grades compare to their expectations. However, this hypothesis is difficult to evaluate beca use few studies have measured grade expectations at the beginning of course s. Aim. By measuring students' grade expectations and enjoyment at several sta ges during a course, we hoped to evaluate the extent to which expectations modulate the impact of grades on course enjoyment. Sample. Participants were 242 students in a university course in psychology . Method. Students were asked what grades they expected, and how much they we re enjoying the course, at four stages. The effect of grades and grade expe ctations on enjoyment were analysed using restricted maximum likelihood (RE ML) and regression analyses. Results. The best predictor of course enjoyment varied somewhat at differen t stages, but in general it was the extent to which students' grades surpas sed their expectations. Students' expectations at the beginning of the cour se proved particularly influential. Conclusions. Grade expectations do influence how students react to course g rades, but the prominent role of pre-course expectations suggests that it m ay be important to distinguish between grade aspirations and grade expectat ions. It appears to be students' aspirations - the grades they hope to achi eve - that most strongly shape their emotional reactions, rather than the m ore realistic expectations they may form later in a course.