Locus Of Control

Letter grades are a tool that schools have used since 1897. Grades have been used to reward and challenge students for the better part of the 19th century and have continued throughout the 21st. The current grading scale is not only used to determine the student's’ success but also the teachers. These grades are also used to determine whether or not the students meet the standards for the next grade level. While this can motivate some students into achieving better grades, they also demotivate students by developing an external locus of control. The current grading system can also place significant stress on the students, which affects their mental health and sense of worth. While the standard letter grades that we use today have only been
Even Delisle suggested that: "A stimulating school environment that is challenging and open-ended can be provided; strengths and interests that belong to the child can be acknowledged and encouraged within the classroom" (p. 257) ( Thompson and McDonald 216). What constitutes a stimulating school environment? Well, one that engages students and also the ones that provide challenges for the students can definitely be stimulating. When students develop an internal locus of control instead of an external one it definitely motivates them to better themselves more. What does a locus of control mean? When a person has an internal locus of control it means that they are motivated internally by growing and learning and procuring knowledge. On the flip side someone with an external locus of control is more motivated by external rewards such as a good grade or money or their parents' approval. Also the locus of control also determines whether or not they will prefer freedom in their assignments. People with an internal locus of control prefer more freedom with school assignments than people with an external locus of control (Thompson and McDonald 213 and 214). What does this have to do with whether grades are required? Grades are what helps to develop an external locus of control. As Ylvisaker states: “The underlying belief is that most students engage in
This is one reason why it is so important to normalize failure (Santovec 24). If failure is not seen as part of the learning process then the students can severely damage their mental health trying to attain those grades. Students will either develop an internal or external locus of control depending on how they view their learning. An external locus of control can place more stress on the students as they are trying to attain an external goal. However until failure is normalized some parents have chosen to not let their children take standardized tests (Infotrac Newstand para.2). Among the reasons are students’ stress levels, tests gauging teacher performance, fear that corporate influence is overriding education and concern that test prep is narrowing curricula to the minimum needed to pass an exam (Infotrac Newstand para.2). These are all valid reasons to take a look at how our current educational system is just teaching our kids how to take tests. If schools were to implement different forms of feedback for the students instead of just using letter grades to determine how much the students have learned then they would have a better understanding of what is going on in the classrooms. Therefore the teachers would be able to be evaluated more effectively than just by students academic scores. Another thing that the parents are concerned about that can be