A study reveals the effect of feeling bored in exams on students’ grades!

A new study has revealed that the exam hall is such a boring place for students that it can affect the grades they come out with.

The study, conducted by a team led by researchers from the University of Vienna in Austria, included 1,820 German students aged between the fifth and tenth grades.

Statistical analysis of the survey results showed that boredom during exams occurred at a significant level among students. The level of boredom during exams increased when the exam lacked personal significance for students, and was also associated with a negative impact on exam results.

The researchers proposed an “abundance” hypothesis for this boredom, suggesting that boredom occurs when students are either over-challenged (the test is too hard) or under-challenged (the test is too easy).

“In order to combat test boredom, teachers should prepare exam tasks in a way that relates to the reality of students’ lives,” says educational psychologist Thomas Goetz, from the University of Vienna. “In addition, the tasks should not be too underrated or too challenging.”

The abundance theory goes like this: If students are not challenged enough, completing a test is a breeze for them, which then leads to boredom — but grades are not negatively affected. On the other hand, over-challenging students and difficult tasks also lead to boredom, which leads to the consumption of cognitive resources and thus lower grades.

There is an argument that boredom can be good for us as humans – especially in developing creativity – but it should not happen in exam environments, especially if it means students get lower grades.

The research was published in the Journal of Educational Psychology.

 

What would happen if all the ocean fish disappeared?

It may be difficult to know how many fish are actually in the oceans, but their great importance in achieving environmental balance can never be ignored.

These fish come in all shapes and sizes, from the small sardines, guppies and blenny you might see on coral reefs to the huge tuna and whale fish you might find in the open ocean.

Fish play important roles as predators and prey in ocean ecosystems. Thousands of species throughout oceans and terrestrial ecosystems depend on fish for food, including humans.

In coral reef ecosystems, larger fish and other marine animals eat smaller fish. This means that small fish form the base of the food web, providing energy for larger fish and other creatures. Outside of water, many birds, mammals and reptiles eat fish and depend on it as a primary source of protein.

Even wild plants can benefit from the presence of fish. On the West Coast of the United States, salmon returning to small streams after spending several years at sea act as a nutrient conveyor belt.

Salmon feed not only on the animals that hunt them, such as bears, but also on the plants that line the waterways. 

Humans also depend on fish as a food source. Fish and other seafood products are an important source of protein for about 3 billion people.

When the fish themselves forage for food, they can create and maintain important habitats for other organisms. In coral reef ecosystems, plant-eating fish control algae growth by constantly grazing on it.

Without the help of plant-eating fish, the algae would grow quickly and suffocate the coral, effectively killing it.

Although many fish species are restricted to the ocean, their presence can be felt in many habitats. It can directly and indirectly affect the lives of organisms that depend on it for food and shelter.

Without fish, the Earth would gradually lose its beautiful white sand beaches, coral reef ecosystems would become filled with algae, many people would not have food to eat, and we would lose some of the most amazing creatures on the planet.

Report by Corey Evans, assistant professor of biological sciences, Rice University.