Students’ perceptions of how grades influence their motivation: voices of upper secondary school students in Norway and Sweden

Abstract Research offers mixed conclusions about whether grades have positive or negative influence on students’ achievements and motivation. To investigate students’ perceptions regarding how grades activate or deactivate them in their studies, we conducted individual semi-structured interviews with 35 Norwegian and Swedish upper-secondary school students, in a context where grades are high stakes. It was found that students experience that grades activate or deactivate them in various ways, depending on the aspects of grading they focus on. According to many students, the existence of grades makes them more inclined to study, while their views are more varied when describing their experiences of receiving positively or negatively perceived grades. Furthermore, grades impact students on different levels: by eliciting different emotions, by transforming students’ academic self-concept, and by influencing how they allocate their time and effort for studies.