The Relationship of Grade Expectation and Academic Achievement of College Students

Abstract

Students’ motivation is an important factor in academic performance. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship and interaction effects among college students' grade expectations, academic performance and perceptions of course difficulty. The sample of the study consists of 2,946 students enrolled at an university in Ankara. 11,294 responses of the students to the Teaching Quality Assesment Questionnaire and grades of students form the study’s data. The dependency relationship between students' expected grade and received grades was examined with the Chi-square test of independence. In addition, multilevel frequency analysis and log linear analysis were applied to determine the interactions between the levels of expected grade, received grade and perceived difficulty level of the course variables. The study found that students who received high grades had expectations that closely aligned with their actual grades, while students who received low grades had expectations that were less aligned. In other words, as students' academic achievement increases, their expectations of their grades and the grades they receive align more closely. Another finding is a negative relationship between an increase in the perceived difficulty of the course and the likelihood of expecting and receiving high grades. The findings are discussed in terms of Expectancy Theory, Goal Setting Theory and the Dunning-Kruger effect.

Keywords

• higher education
• academic achievement
• motivation
• Dunning Kruger Effect

Üniversite Öğrencilerinin Not Beklentileri ve Akademik Başarıları Arasındaki İlişki

Abstract

Öğrenci motivasyonu akademik performansta önemli bir faktördür. Bu çalışmanın amacı, üniversite öğrencilerinin not beklentileri, akademik performansları ve ders zorluğu algıları arasındaki ilişkiyi ve değişkenler arasındaki etkileşimi incelemektir. Çalışmanın örneklemini, Ankara’daki bir üniversitede kayıtlı 2946 öğrenci oluşturmaktadır. Araştırma verileri, öğrencilerin Öğretim Kalitesi Değerlendirme Anketi'ne verdiği 11294 yanıt ve öğrencilerin notlarıdır. Öğrencilerin not beklentileri ile aldıkları notlar arasındaki bağımlılık ilişkisi Ki-kare bağımsızlık testi ile incelenmiştir. Ayrıca beklenen not, alınan not ve ders zorluğu algısı değişkenlerinin düzeyleri arasındaki etkileşimleri belirlemek için çok düzeyli frekans analizi ve log lineer analiz uygulanmıştır. Çalışma sonucunda, yüksek not alan öğrencilerin beklentilerinin notlarıyla yüksek oranda uyumlu olduğu, düşük not alan öğrencilerin beklentilerinin ise notlarıyla daha az uyumlu olduğu görülmüştür. Başka bir deyişle, öğrencilerin akademik başarıları arttıkça, notlarına ilişkin beklentileri ile aldıkları notlar uyumlu olmaktadır. Bir diğer bulgu, dersin algılanan zorluğundaki artış ile yüksek not bekleme ve alma olasılığı arasındaki negatif ilişkidir. Bulgular Beklenti Kuramı, Hedef Belirleme Kuramı ve Dunning-Kruger etkisi açısından tartışılmıştır.

Keywords

• yükseköğretim
• akademik başarı
• motivasyon
• Dunning Kruger Etkisi

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