Impact of a change from A–F grading to honors/pass/fail grading on academic performance at Yonsei University College of Medicine in Korea: a cross-sectional serial mediation analysis

Reducing the number of grades and eliminating rank-based grading might have created an affirming learning environment that fulfills basic psychological needs and reinforces the intrinsic motivation linked to academic performance. The cumulative effect of these 2 mediators suggests that a comprehensive approach should be used to understand student performance.