A counting days grading incentive raises final exam scores more than a per-question points incentive in an introductory programming course¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (2 entries) · causal r2 · q3
Currency · newest study 2025 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i? In a within-class RCT, students randomized to the counting days condition earned significantly higher final exam scores than students in the counting questions condition. → Iman YeckehZaare & Paul Resnick 2025

Evidence¶

Iman YeckehZaare & Paul Resnick 2025¶

Iman YeckehZaare & Paul Resnick. (2025). Counting days is a spacing incentive that unlocks the potential of low GPA students. npj Science of Learning 10:35. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41539-025-00322-5

q3 · i? · causal · r2

Within-class randomized experiment with 143 analyzed students in an introductory programming course; counting days group mean final exam score was "85.3% vs. 81.7% in the counting questions condition". Table 2 reports a significant two-sample t-test for Final Exam Score (1.988*, p < 0.05).

"The mean final exam score in the counting days treatment was 85.3% vs. 81.7% in the counting questions condition."

Iman YeckehZaare & Paul Resnick 2025 (2)¶

Iman YeckehZaare & Paul Resnick. (2025). Counting days is a spacing incentive that unlocks the potential of low GPA students. npj Science of Learning 10:35. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41539-025-00322-5

q3 · i? · causal · r2

The same within-class experiment reports that "these differences are statistically significant" under both parametric and non-parametric tests; the printed t statistic for Final Exam Score is 1.988 (p < 0.05). No standardized effect size is printed.

"Table 2 confirms that these differences are statistically significant, according to both parametric t-tests and non-parametric Wilcoxon rank- sum (Mann-Whitney) tests."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• The counting days treatment's benefit for exam scores is mediated almost entirely by the number of days practiced, not the number of questions — related
• The spacing incentive benefits lower-GPA students more, nearly equalizing exam performance across prior GPA levels — related
• Counting days incentive strongly increases the number of days of practice in both a within-class and a between-instructor experiment — related
• Counting questions students procrastinate, practicing little until late in the semester, while counting days spreads practice across the term — related