Ungrading: Impact on Learner Psychology and Learning Motivation - Tabassum Mahmud Ornab & Shabnam Musarrat

Ungrading: Impact on Learner Psychology and Learning Motivation Tabassum Mahmud Ornab Lecturer, Department of English Language and Literature, City University, Dhaka, Bangladesh Shabnam Musarrat Guest Lecturer, Department of English, Mohammadpur Kendriya College, Dhaka, Bangladesh Abstract: Ungrading, a pedagogical approach that de-emphasizes traditional grading systems, is gaining popularity for its potential impact on learner psychology and learning motivation. As learners differ in their learning styles, the traditional grading system plays a crucial role, without which reluctance and disinterestedness develop among learners in learning and gaining knowledge due to the lack of meaningful achievement in the long run. Contrariwise, by adopting an Outcome-Based curriculum, Bangladesh has moved from a traditional norm-referenced scoring system to a non traditional criterion-referenced scoring system, an integral part of continuous assessment, where learners’ final performance does not determine their actual result, rather their whole education journey is their final result. Consequently, by shifting the emphasis from grades to feedback, ungrading affects learners' learning motivation both positively and negatively, i.e. fosters learner engagement by encouraging them to take ownership of their educational journey, or leaves them idle to simply rely on others for easy solutions. Hence, this qualitative discourse analysis study examines how ungrading influences learners' motivation, self-efficacy, and overall approach to learning by employing the method of teacher-learner interviews. The systematic analysis of the relevant data provides the general understanding that the ungarding system has a negative impact on learners’ psychology and motivation in the context of Bangladesh. Keywords: Ungrading, Learner Psychology, Learning Motivation, Learning Styles, Feedback-Centered Approach