The effect of pass/fail grading and weekly quizzes on first-year studentsʼ performances and satisfaction

Robins, Lynne; Fantone, Joseph C.; Oh, Mary S.; Alexander, Gwen; Shlafer, Marshal; Davis, Wayne K.

doi:10.1097/00001888-199504000-00019

Cited by 47 publications

(52 citation statements)

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“…On the one hand, several studies have shown the benefit of pass/fail grading in terms of improving student well-being [4,5], however the impact of such systems on academic outcomes is less clear. Whereas some studies have found no relationship between grading system and academic performance [4,7], other work has shown that numeric grades during the first year of medical school predict performance in subsequent years, performance on all 3 steps of the USMLE, as well as post-graduate ratings of clinical competence [2]. Limiting the debate is the relative lack of studies that investigate the effect of grading policy on medical student performance on preclinical coursework as well as performance on the USMLE Step 1 examination.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluating a grading change at UCSD school of medicine: pass/fail grading is associated with decreased performance on preclinical exams but unchanged performance on USMLE step 1 scores

McDuff

McDuff²,

Farace

et al. 2014

BMC Med Educ

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BackgroundTo assess the impact of a change in preclerkship grading system from Honors/Pass/Fail (H/P/F) to Pass/Fail (P/F) on University of California, San Diego (UCSD) medical students’ academic performance.MethodsAcademic performance of students in the classes of 2011 and 2012 (constant-grading classes) were collected and compared with performance of students in the class of 2013 (grading-change class) because the grading policy at UCSD SOM was changed for the class of 2013, from H/P/F during the first year (MS1) to P/F during the second year (MS2). For all students, data consisted of test scores from required preclinical courses from MS1 and MS2 years, and USMLE Step 1 scores. Linear regression analysis controlled for other factors that could be predictive of student performance (i.e., MCAT scores, undergraduate GPA, age, gender, etc.) in order to isolate the effect of the changed grading policy on academic performance. The change in grading policy in the MS2 year only, without any corresponding changes to the medical curriculum, presents a unique natural experiment with which to cleanly evaluate the effect of P/F grading on performance outcomes.ResultsAfter controlling for other factors, the grading policy change to P/F grading in the MS2 year had a negative impact on second-year grades relative to first-year grades (the constant-grading classes performed 1.65% points lower during their MS2 year compared to the MS1 year versus 3.25% points lower for the grading-change class, p < 0.0001), but had no observable impact on USMLE Step 1 scores.ConclusionsA change in grading from H/P/F grading to P/F grading was associated with decreased performance on preclinical examinations but no decrease in performance on the USMLE Step 1 examination. These results are discussed in the broader context of the multitude of factors that should be considered in assessing the merits of various grading systems, and ultimately the authors recommend the continuation of pass-fail grading at UCSD School of Medicine.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluating a grading change at UCSD school of medicine: pass/fail grading is associated with decreased performance on preclinical exams but unchanged performance on USMLE step 1 scores

McDuff

McDuff²,

Farace

et al. 2014

BMC Med Educ

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“…Those more supportive of a pass-fail grading system believe that performance discrimination inhibits deeper learning (i.e., critical analysis of new ideas; connecting those ideas to already known concepts and principles) that is linked with intrinsic motivation, and encourages competition that hinders effective collaborative learning (Phillips 1965;Robins et al 1995;Weller 1983). Discriminating grading thus directly conflicts with approaches that support self-regulated learning.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In 1992 we adopted a pass-fail grading scale in the first year of the medical student curriculum. We studied its short-term effects and found that performance-usually quite high-was unchanged, and students were more satisfied and less competitive (Robins et al 1995). In 2003 we implemented a new curriculum that integrated pedagogical elements specifically designed to foster SRL (developing personal learning goals, reflecting on effective learning strategies, accountability to self and peers for learning, self-monitoring against goals).…”

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confidence: 99%

Pass–fail grading: laying the foundation for self-regulated learning

White

Fantone

2009

Adv in Health Sci Educ

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Traditionally, medical schools have tended to make assumptions that students will "automatically" engage in self-education effectively after graduation and subsequent training in residency and fellowships. In reality, the majority of medical graduates out in practice feel unprepared for learning on their own. Many medical schools are now adopting strategies and pedagogies to help students become self-regulating learners. Along with these changes in practices and pedagogy, many schools are eliminating a cornerstone of extrinsic motivation: discriminating grades. To study the effects of the switch from discriminating to pass-fail grading in the second year of medical school, we compared internal and external assessments and evaluations for a second-year class with a discriminating grading scale (Honors, High Pass, Pass, Fail) and for a second-year class with a pass-fail grading scale. Of the measures we compared (MCATs, GPAs, means on second-year examinations, USMLE Step 1 scores, residency placement, in which there were no statistically significant changes), the only statistically significant decreases (lower performance with pass fail) were found in two of the second-year courses. Performance in one other course also improved significantly. Pass-fail grading can meet several important intended outcomes, including "leveling the playing field" for incoming students with different academic backgrounds, reducing competition and fostering collaboration among members of a class, more time for extracurricular interests and personal activities. Pass-fail grading also reduces competition and supports collaboration, and fosters intrinsic motivation, which is key to self-regulated, lifelong learning.

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“…This may seem in contrast to findings by Bloodgood et al, 12 who found that a change to a pass/ fail system at 1 program led to a significant increase in student well-being, greater satisfaction with the quality of the education, and greater satisfaction with their personal lives while showing no negative effect on clerkship performance, US Medical Licensing Examination testing, or residency placement. In the same vein, Robins et al 13 found that students reported greater satisfaction with a pass/fail grading system and performed equally well on weekly objective quizzes during their first year. It bears note, however, that none of these studies examined student self-assessed knowledge, but rather lifestyle, test performance, and career outcomes.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 92%