Chapter 1

The Problem and Its Scope

Introduction

Grading has been a part of conventional teaching practices for so long that many
people, educators and students alike, do not question its usefulness or validity. They
use grades to mark proficiency, progress, and effort to compare students to their peers.
The numbers and letters on the result card are a medium to evaluate students’ skills
and make them perform better in their particular field of studies. Many say: ‘Your grades
don’t define you.’ But is that really true? These discussions have been around this
burning issue for years and no proper answer was found. Do grades do justice to a
student’s knowledge in Ubaldo D. Laya Memorial Central School, how much do grades
mean to students? If we talk for a student who is pursuing education or in elementary
and high school, scores do matter, and in fact, play a very essential role.

Flaws in the grading system exist even today after making regular amendments,
but it isn’t completely impeccable. The letters and numbers on the result card still hold
value. Students should perceive marks as an encouragement to perform better. Marks
are nothing but a medium of measurement of how much effort and concentration a
student has put into the education. While good grades are important and should be
something every student strives for, they do not necessarily correlate with a student’s
intelligence. Students should worry less about their grades and instead care more about
retaining the content they are learning and gaining actual knowledge. Knowledge is
playing an essential role in the learning process but they do not fully define a person
and his/her own capabilities.

Theoretical Framework

Kohn (2009) discussed three consistent effects of using grades in learning. Grades can
reduce student’s interest in learning, preference of challenging tasks, and the quality of
student’s thinking. Kohn reported that grades sully the learning environment and “are
not valid, reliable, or objective” measures of learning. Kohn’s solution to grading is
authentic assessment that provides feedback to students for improvement.

In synthesizing the literature on the effects of grading life-long learning behaviors,

Ramsey et al. (2002) reported that in some instances the use of grades contributed to
student avoidance of learning by cheating, taking easy courses, engaging in projects
that had had low risk of failure (i.e. unchallenging) and ignoring feedbacks on
assignments when the grade was more important. The authors suggested self-
assessment as part of solution to building life-long learning habits.

Howard Gardner (1983) differentiates human intelligence into specific

‘modalities’, rather than seeing intelligence as dominated by a single general ability.
Although the distinction between intelligence has been set out in great detail, Gardner
opposes the idea labeling learners to a specific intelligence. Gardner maintains that his
theory should “empower learners”, not restrict them to one modality.

Conceptual Framework

Negative effects of students relied

on their
Statement of the Problem

This study aimed to answer about the negative effects using grades as basis in
learning to the students.

Questions:

1. What are the negative effects of using grades as basis in learning?

2. How can we help those students who relied there grades to their knowledge?

Significance of the study

The result of the study identified the negative effects of relying in grades to learn will be
the following:

Students. The result of this study can serves as. It is hoped that this study will be a
great help to the effective way of studying and applying the right method of
learning.

Teachers. This study will make the teacher aware of the negative effects of relying on
grades of the learnings of their students. They will have the knowledge of what
their students should do so they could guide and help their students in the correct
course.

Parents. The result of the study will make the parents aware to understand the stress of
their child and give them guidance. And parents as their child’s first teacher can
think of things that can be helpful to their children, along with guiding to the
proper and orderly way of their study.
Future Researchers. The researchers are expecting that this study will be helpful to
the future researchers as they gather information. Also, the researchers want to
give some insights into how or what you can do

Scope and Limitation

This research focuses only on under grade five and six students of Ubaldo D. Laya
Memorial Central School.

Definition of Terms

To understand this study better, the following terms are defined operationally:

Relying- to be dependent

Amendments- a change in the words, the act of correction

Impeccable- not capable of sinning, free from fault

Sully- to make soiled or tarnished, to damage or ruin

Synthesizing- to combine (things) in order to make something new

Ubaldo D. Laya Memorial Central School- the school where the study will be
conducted.

Life-long- continuing or lasting

 Chapter 2

Review of Related Literature and Studies

 Chapter 3

Methodology