The effects of broad based holistic measurement on student engagement and motivation in educational assessment

• Main Author: Brotherton, Paul Anthony
• Other Authors: Douglas, Kimberly D.
• Language: en_US
• Published: 2012
• Subjects: Educational tests and measurements; Students > Attitudes
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/1957/33597

Educational institutions are exposed to a continuously changing environment. As in business, they experiment with their methods and techniques to improve their outputs. Performance assessment, both in education and business is a gray science. It is not just a question of evaluating performance. Performance is comprised of a number of components such as motivation, ability, organizational support, and rewards. This study looked at the relationship between educational assessment and the performance components. An assessment tool called the Balanced Scorecard, which has seen great success in the world of business, was adapted for use in the classroom. The study utilized quasi-experimental design to compare the effects of the broad-based holistic measurement associated with a balanced scorecard, and a traditional grading structure in two topics-based college courses. The study found that motivation, individual equity, satisfaction, and student engagement were all significantly higher in the experimental group by comparison. This evidence suggests that by utilizing a broad base of performance measures, one can increase student motivation and engagement in the learning process. === Graduation date: 1999