Learning assessment is a complex field encompassing a wide range of approaches. In education, schools of thought range from standardized assessment (a quantitative approach) to the complete absence of formal assessment, with criterion-referenced assessment (a qualitative approach) falling somewhere in between. Ultimately, however, the results of these assessments are often converted into a numerical score that serves as the learner's final grade or mark.

In the corporate learning environment, standardized assessments are widely used to provide a clear and objective measure of participants' knowledge. From the perspectives of skills management and learning analytics, these numerical results are highly valuable, helping organizations make more informed training decisions. And as we all know, in business, numbers tend to drive decisions.

However, when it comes to learning, numbers alone may not be as effective a measure as we often assume.

Numerical Scores and Learner Motivation: An Interesting Study

Ruth Butler, a researcher in educational psychology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, conducted a study examining how different types of learning assessments affect students' motivation, interest, and academic performance.

To summarize the study (which you can read in full here), Butler examined the effects of different combinations of numerical grades and qualitative feedback across three groups of learners. The first group received only a summative grade for their work. The second group received a combination of a numerical grade, explanatory feedback, and suggestions for improvement. The third and final group received only explanatory feedback and suggestions for improvement, with no numerical grade.

The three groups completed a series of learning tasks appropriate to their respective grade levels over the course of three separate sessions. Between each session, students received feedback according to the assessment model assigned to their group: a numerical grade only, qualitative feedback only, or a combination of both.

The Results

The results showed that students in the first group those who received only numerical grades tended to become less motivated and performed less well during subsequent sessions. It is worth noting, however, that high-performing students (those who received higher grades) were less affected than students who initially performed at a lower level.

Students in the second group, who received both a numerical grade and written feedback, displayed behaviors similar to those of the first group. This was especially true for lower-performing students, who showed a decline in both performance and interest in the task.

The third group, which received only corrective feedback and suggestions for improvement, showed the opposite trend over the subsequent sessions. In other words, both performance and motivation increased over time for the students who received qualitative feedback without a numerical grade.

One of the study's most interesting findings was that, when students were later asked what they remembered about the feedback they had received, those who had received numerical grades remembered only the grade itself even if they had also been given written comments and suggestions for improvement. In contrast, students who received qualitative feedback without a numerical grade were able to recall and explain the feedback they had received.

What Does This Mean for Corporate Training?

This research suggests that the presence of numerical grades can often have a demotivating effect on learners, ultimately leading to lower performance. It also indicates that learners tend to remember the grade itself, while overlooking the feedback and suggestions for improvement that are intended to support their learning.

Based on these findings, it appears to be more effective to provide reflective feedback accompanied by clear suggestions for improvement. It may also be beneficial to avoid presenting learners with numerical scores whenever possible, helping them focus on actionable feedback rather than the grade itself and reducing the risk of undermining their motivation.

Conclusion

Although this study was conducted with elementary school students, its findings can still provide valuable insights for organizations seeking to develop employee skills and select effective assessment strategies. In the context of skills management, numerical data remains valuable if not essential for tracking performance and informing decision-making. There is nothing to prevent organizations from collecting these data for reporting and analytical purposes.

There is also no compelling reason why these numerical results must be shown to learners. After all, learning is about growth not about the numbers.