
734 Human Factors of a Global Society
varied among the samples; they would not be strictly comparable to each other. The nal grades
were curved since the instructor wanted to challenge the students to greater effort even though they
would be aware of the likelihood of curving. The nal grades were derived from the measured
outcomes, so the quantied outcomes were better for comparison within the samples. The average
percentages of the maximum possible outcome scores for the three samples were 71.4%, 62.9%,
and 55.9%, respectively. The decline in scores, as the test questions became simpler, may indicate a
decrease in the motivation of the students ...