Extra Credit in The Classroom

1. Positive Effects of Extra Credit

1.1. Students are more likely to participate in extra credit when there is an obvious link between effort and a grade increase

1.1.1. Love, Eg, Love, Dw, & Northcraft, GB. (2010). Is the end in sight? Student regulation of in-class and extra-credit effort in response to performance Feedback. Academy Of Management Learning & Education, 9(1), 81-97.

1.1.1.1. Positive incentives using extra credit can encourage students to complete coursework that encourages mastery

1.1.1.2. Padilla-Walker, L. (2006). The impact of daily extra credit quizzes on exam performance. Teaching of Psychology, 33(4), 236-239.

2. Grade Inflation

2.1. Extra credit and participation points can inflate grades

2.1.1. Knore, C. (1996). Grade Inflation in elementary or secondary students' progress reports: The contribution of homework or extra-credit projects. American Secondary Education, 24(3), 11-18.

2.1.1.1. Inflated grades or grades that include measures of effort can confound the meaning of grades

2.1.1.2. Knore, C. (1996). Grade Inflation in elementary or secondary students' progress reports: The contribution of homework or extra-credit projects. American Secondary Education, 24(3), 11-18.

2.1.1.3. Randall, J., & Engelhard, G. (2010). Examining the grading practices of teachers. Teaching and Teacher Education, 26(7), 1372-1380.

2.1.1.3.1. Mean grades have risen for secondary schools, but the signaling power of grades has not decreased.

2.1.1.3.2. Pattison, E., Grodsky, E., & Muller, C. (2013). Is the sky falling? Grade inflation and the signaling power of grades. Educational Researcher, 42(5), 259-265

3. Does not actually help the students who need it most

3.1. Students who completed extra credit had higher grades before receiving extra credit

3.1.1. Moore, R. (2005). Who does extra-credit work in introductory science courses? Journal of College Science Teaching, 34(7), 12-15. Retrieved June 14, 2020, from www.jstor.org/stable/42991720

3.1.2. Hardy, M. (2002). Extra credit:Gifts for the gifted? Teaching of Psychology, 29(3), 233-234

4. Gaps in the literature

4.1. There is a need to study current teacher attitudes towards extra credit in the classroom. All of the studies found on the topic were quantitative. There is a need to interview teachers and explore the roots of their feelings towards extra credit.