The pre-assessment learning effects of consequential assessment: modelling how the examination game is played

Exams can drive students to learn in undesirable ways, like memorising rather than trying to understand work. While this phenomenon has been researched extensively, research has not yet yielded a validated model to explain this behaviour. This dissertation proposes, and starts the process of validation of, a model that describes and explains students’ reactions to assessment. Validation is crucial because it allows the model to be used with greater confidence in a range of settings. These findings could help lecturers who develop assessments to understand how different assessment methods, and the way they are used, influence student learning. They could also enhance research about assessment as a tool to augment learning.