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Case #3 Analysis Assignment – For this Case Analysis Assignment,…
Case #3 Analysis Assignment –
For this Case Analysis Assignment, please re-answer the same three questions from the Initial Thoughts Assignment. However, this time, you must answer the questions USING the psychological concepts and theories we’ve been learning about.
Specifically, you need to discuss how the course material can help us understand and fix the problems in the case. The chapters that relate to Case #3 are:
Chapter 11: Motivation
Chapter 12: Individual Differences
The outline for your Case Analysis should look something like this:
What are some of the problems in the case?
Brief discussion of the problems you’ll be focusing on in your Case Analysis (1 paragraph)
What do you think are the causes of these problems?
Explanation of the causes using Chapter 11 (2 paragraphs)
Explanation of the causes using Chapter 12 (2 paragraphs)
How would you fix these problems?
Explanation of potential solutions using Chapter 11 (2 paragraphs)
Explanation of potential solutions using Chapter 12 (2 paragraphs)
All together, your Case Analysis should be at least 9 substantive paragraphs, so your submission should be at least 900
Case #3: Exam Grades
It’s Monday morning at Davis High School, which is located in a large metropolitan city. It boasts a variety of programs such as Advanced Placement (AP) classes, vocational/technical, and the arts. Today, Curtis Womack, a first-year teacher, is handing back exams in his classes. As the bell rings for his second-period sophomore general science class, Mr. Womack begins distributing the exam and says, “Class, I’m very disappointed that the highest grade was a C+. But I must say that I’m not very surprised. Many of you turned in exams after only 20 minutes. With 25 multiple-choice questions and one essay, that meant you weren’t putting a lot of effort into answering the questions. I don’t know what’s going on. Can you help me understand?”
“A C+ sounds pretty good,” Cassius says with a smile.
“Yeah, pretty good for not studying,” Joanna adds. “I mean we can drop the lowest grade we get, and we can even do an extra-credit project at the end of the term.”
“But those options are meant to help you get the best grade you can,” replies Mr. Womack, “not make it easy for you to try less hard.”
“Mr Womack, I’m not trying to work less hard,” Carla explains. “I just want to focus on my other classes, ones that are more important to my arts program. No offense!”
“Yeah, why do we need to know this stuff anyway?” adds Cassius. “It’s not like we’re going to be engineers or scientists or something.”
Mr. Womack’s concern over his students’ motivation is apparent. He spends almost half of the class period discussing their aspirations, motivation, and work habits. He is eager to understand their perspectives on school and ways to motivate them. But the day’s busy schedule left him little time to think about it further. The bell rings, signaling the end of class, and he begins gathering another set of exams to hand back to his next class, AP physics.
“Good morning, everyone. I have exams ready to hand back,” Mr. Womack announces. The classroom fills with groans and sighs.
“Not to worry,” says Mr. Womack, “the scores are actually quite good. The highest grade was an A. Congratulations to Luis. And the lowest grade was a C-. There’s definitely room for improvement, but you’re all doing fine.”
As Mr. Womack continues handing back the exams, Akira leans over to his longtime friend Kamila and whispers, “What’d you get?”
Kamila hesitates, “C+. I can’t believe it. I’ve never gotten a C in my entire life,” she admits. “What’d you get?”
“I got a C+ too,” he says. “I guess we’ll have to study harder next time if we want to get better grades.”
“That’s just it. We’ve always gotten As and hardly ever studied,” says Kamila. She doesn’t tell Akira that she did actually study and wonders whether he did too.
After class, Kamila approaches Mr. Womack about her grade. “Mr. Womack, I’m not sure what to do. I studied for the exam but I’m not happy with my grade. I think I want to drop AP physics and take a different science class,” Kamila says.
“I wouldn’t make such a drastic decision based on just one test score, Kamila. I’m sure you’ll improve next time. Maybe you just need to study more,” replies Mr. Womack. “Tell me, why did you choose AP Physics in the first place?”
“Because I like math and science and my dad is an engineer. Ever since I can remember I’ve wanted to be an engineer too. I figured AP physics might be good preparation for an engineering major in college.”
“So you want to give up your dream?” Mr. Womack persists.
“No, uh, I don’t know. I know I don’t want to fail and hurt my GPA. That would hurt my chances of getting into a good college. That is, if I even want to choose engineering. I must not be as good at science as I thought. I was always the ‘smart’ kid in class, but getting a C+ must mean I’m stupid compared to the other kids.”
“No, I wouldn’t say that at all,” says Mr. Womack in a reassuring tone. “I say sleep on it and we’ll talk more about it tomorrow.”
