The U.S. is in the midst of a self-esteem and grade inflation boom. But a new study out of the University of Pennsylvania, which compares student self-assessment with performance in the U.S. and China, suggests that could be a problem:
According to Young-Hoon Kim, a postdoctoral research fellow in the (University of Pennsylvania) Psychology Department, most people — including college students, professors and 94 percent of high-school seniors — believe they are better than the average person, a mindset that is not only statistically incorrect but also distorts self-perception and can ultimately result in depression.
Kim performed a study recently published by the American Psychological Association comparing the self-assessments of 295 U.S. college students and 2,780 Hong Kong high-school students. He found that students with unrealistic self-perceptions performed worse in school, had lower motivation and experienced more depression than those who accurately assessed their academic performance, even if they were low-performing.
Kim found that his results were consistent with differences between American and Asian cultures. “In America, we try to give positive performance feedback even if children are not qualified, [hoping they] might be motivated to work harder,” he said. “In Asia, you get negative performance feedback even if you did well.”
Stateside, A’s are now the most common grade received on American college campuses. They account for 43 percent of all letter grades — up 28 percent from 1960, and 12 percent from 1988.
Please join the conversation about our stories on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Reddit, MeWe, Rumble, Gab, Minds and Gettr.