Effort-based grading, while not directly related to impacting academic skills mastery, is a common practice that may impact student motivation and learning (Swinton, 2010). The concept involves educators examining effort as a contributive factor to learning and, subsequently, student achievement. Gainor and Precourt (2017) further suggest evaluating students for participation, in addition to effort, may positively impact motivation and engagement. As a balanced assessment system encourages improvement by collecting relevant data through multiple forms of assessment, grading systems that support effort-based evaluation may be beneficial to maintain high student engagement and improve motivation to learn (Stiggins, 2008).
References
Gainor, M. E., & Precourt, E. (2017). Taking subjectivity out of grading college classroom participation. Journal of the Academy of Business Education, 18, 39.
Stiggins, R. (2008). Assessment manifesto. A call for the development of balanced assessment systems. Educational Testing Service.
Swinton, O.H. (2010). The effect of effort grading on learning. Economics of Education Review, 29(6), 1176-1182. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econedurev.2010.06.014