It’s got nothing to do with lesson plans or studying. But it just might work.

Showing students the letter “A” before a test might help boost their grades, a study by two researchers at the University of Missouri suggests.

The researchers conducted three related experiments that involved a total of 131 students. In the first, they gave some students a word analogies test labeled “Test Bank ID: A” and others a test labeled “Test Bank ID: F.” In a second experiment, a test called “Test ID: J” was added to the mix. In a third, students were given an anagram test that had a “Subject ID Code” of A, F or J.

In all three experiments, students were instructed to write the code letter applicable to their test on each page of their testing packet. The packets were between five and six pages.

In all three cases, students who took the “A” tests did significantly better than those who took the “F” tests, while the “J” test-takers fell somewhere in between.

The researchers’ conclusion: Students may be affected by evaluative letters they see before performing a task.

Does this study seem like a fluke, or might there be something to it? Tell us what you think in the comments section below.

Tags: grades, testing, University of Missouri