Experimenting with the Examination

E E XAMINATIONS, in the opinion of the writers, should not be merely police clubs with which to threaten students into work, or means of measuring an accomplished educational fact. The examination should be primarily a means of so informing the student regarding his mastery of the subject-matter covered that he may attempt, on the basis of this information, to remedy any weaknesses which may have been discovered. And, the examination should be so integrated in the whole educational procedure that students will proceed thus to deal with their weak points. The writers also believe that marks are usually not, preferably, to be distributed according to the normal curve.' Rather they are of the opinion that a valid educational theory would suggest the desirability of some other distribution. Presumably, distributions consisting entirely of A's are often the ideal, and in certain subjectmatter this might seem a possible accomplishment with proper adjustment of teaching aid and of amount of study to each student's needs. The brief investigation here reported is an attempt to use examinations as suggested, and it shows some slight influence upon the distribution of marks

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• Educational psychology—some general aspects of learning and teaching

  Ralph B Spence, Ruth Duncan•Psychological Bulletin•1931

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