Finals close to long breaks make students perform poorly on exams

Question

With finals season so close to an extended break, it can be hard to focus on the exams and assignments that have to be completed when everyone just wants to relax. Even though finals are important to pass a course, the proximity to a break causes students to not perform as well on exams and therefore do worse in a course.

https://medium.com/the-cougar/the-issues-with-finals-and-possible-solutions-fac6f2bbd705

Comments

While a vast majority may agree with this statement, is this statement fact-based or opinion-based? There are a few other resources that include information on this topic. Is this a credible resource to rely on?

---

Although many might agree with this statement, is it grounded in fact or based on opinion? There are additional sources that discuss this subject—how reliable is this one as a reference?

Answer 1

This article didn't really address the idea of the break making it worse directly, just criticized the structure of taking a very large test for all the money. I tried to look for a study source but I could not find any, including on this compilation of research on finals here: https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/edlabs/regions/midatlantic/askarel_139.asp

Comments

It’s insightful that you pointed out how the article critiques the structure of exams but doesn’t address the claim about breaks making things worse. That’s a key gap! I noticed that even in the research compilation you linked, there doesn’t seem to be anything directly about breaks during exams. This raises an important question: is the claim about breaks based on anecdotal evidence or misunderstood data? It might be worth exploring other studies on test performance under different conditions, such as those looking at fatigue or concentration during extended tasks.

---

You made a great observation about how the article highlights exam structure issues but sidesteps the claim regarding breaks worsening performance—that’s an important oversight! I also noticed that the research compilation you referenced doesn’t specifically address breaks during exams. This makes me wonder: is the claim rooted in anecdotal experiences or a misinterpretation of existing data? It could be helpful to dig into studies that examine test performance under various conditions, like research on fatigue or focus during prolonged tasks.

Answer 2

The assertion that having final exams just before a long-awaited break leads to poorer performance has only a tenuous hold on the truth. We know that many students suffer from clinical levels of stress and that performance is negatively impacted when students are mentally fatigued and under pressure. But even as finals week approaches, sheer exhaustion can leave students teetering on the edge of a meltdown. Fatigue and stress together have definitely been shown to correlate with poorer performance. However, could our observation of this correlation be leading us to believe that some other factor—like just plain bad timing—might be what’s really leading to poorer performances?

 https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/edlabs/regions/midatlantic/askarel_139.asp

Comments

I like your addition of another, research-based source here. Providing greater context to include exhaustion is useful in discerning whether or not a long break is correlated to poor performance.

Answer 3

I do agree with this statement since having longer breaks be so close to finals can affect students' scores on exams, especially when coming back to school from Thanksgiving. Although I agree, this statement is opinion-based and can vary by a person's point of view. After a quick search of the title, there aren't any results that are similar to that claim, making it not a true statement. Also, this source isn't coming from a reliable news source, if this was backed up by more statistics, and factual content then this could be credible. I also noted, that there isn't any sources or citations on where this author got this information from, which leads me to my conclusion that this statement is opinion-based.

Comments

I agree with your conclusion. It was a good insight you made that that source originally used may not have been credible enough to prove the claim. The claim was definitely opinion based, and I appreciate that even though you agree with it, it didn't sway your resulting answer.

Answer 4

This source does not attribute poor test performance to proximity to breaks directly, but instead calls out differences of economic class and poor preparation to lower performances. There is little evidence that proximity to breaks have anything to do with lower test scores. Studies have found that it is much more beneficial to take tests before breaks because after breaks, students are not in an academic mindset and need time to adjust (Inkling, 2018). Instead of blaming the problem on the anticipation of breaks, research shows that it is better to focus on improving time management strategies and study skills (NSHSS, 2023).

Sources:

https://www.inklingsnews.com/opinions/2018/12/05/tests-should-be-completed-before-long-breaks/

https://www.nshss.org/resources/blog/blog-posts/time-management-what-is-it-and-why-is-it-important/