Why dropping grades won’t automatically fix student stress
Classroom assessment remains a persistent source of social pressure and unhappiness for post-secondary students, according to research described in The Conversation Canada. Yet the findings suggest that removing particular assessment formats — or even grades — does not seem to guarantee improved well-being. The author argues for borrowing from social psychology, working within the limits of instructors’ finite resources.
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The finding undercuts a lot of well-meaning grading reform: changing formats or removing grades can be a structural change without a clear psychological payoff.
“Doesn’t guarantee” is not “no effect.” The average could hide real benefits for individual students, so this shouldn’t be used to rule out grading reform entirely.
Fair — but the author’s point is about where to spend instructors’ limited time. If a change doesn’t move average well-being, social-psychology approaches may be more practical levers.