To date, grades play an important role in determining the academic success of students. The assessment is designed to measure the knowledge gained and the understanding of the subject by students, but excessive emphasis has led to the fact that it is now the only indicator of success. Of course, such an attitude can lead to various negative consequences, which can lead to complications in the psychological and physical condition of students, a decrease in the level of education, shortcomings in the student's development in other aspects of life, a decrease in individuality and creativity among students. In this paper, the influence of excessive attention on assessments, as well as the causes, will be studied.

The original purpose of education was to acquire knowledge and further use it in various spheres of life, whether it be work, everyday life, parenting or scientific research. However, due to the fact that children are fixated on what grade to get, rather than on the concept of «What do I like from the subjects studied? What am I ready to study in the future and in what field do I work after that? Usually, even because of the abundance of choice in the direction of many children for a long time cannot decide who to become.

Grades can significantly affect the motivation to study. The mark «excellent» can serve as a source of motivation and confirmation, while «satisfactory» completely deprive the student of motivation and reduce his self-esteem. Such a combination of circumstances leads to the fact that the child's personality is determined solely on his success, that is, in this case, these are estimates. In addition, it should be noted that grades can reduce interest in the subjects they study. Why is this happening? Because even students with good scores prefer to take easier tasks from the proposed ones, as they want to reduce the risk of failure. Following from this statement, it can be noted that by performing easier tasks, students can reduce the quality of thinking. In addition, most children during their studies are wondering what will be on the test, but only a few are interested in the correctness of a particular theory or fact [1]. Most children do not learn knowledge because of the tests, but rather memorize the material without fully understanding the purpose of the material. Because of the education system, which is focused on ranking, considering that this is the right indicator of knowledge, children will not be able to develop their critical thinking if they memorize the answers to the test. Therefore, roughly speaking, all efforts of the ancestors in the development of cognitive abilities may decrease.

Motivation

In terms of education, evaluation plays the role of an external motivator, but when it is overemphasized, the internal motivator is lost, which can lead to a decrease in the effectiveness of education and the knowledge gained. The internal motivation is the interest and personal growth of the student, since in this way children will be more aware of how to further dispose of the knowledge they have received. The original purpose of education was to acquire knowledge and further use it in various spheres of life, whether it be work, everyday life, parenting or scientific research. As a rule, it is interest that plays an important role in determining the direction of a particular activity. How, it would be possible to imagine that the assessments will affect the work, since they do not prepare for the «real world». Since on the basis of the above, knowledge of only theoretical material will not be able to contribute to practical actions [2].

The source of obsession with estimates

Obsession with grades appears due to fear, if already at a more mature age, students are afraid of being judged for the grade they received among their peers, then in elementary grades they often occur, so that children are afraid of being punished for a bad mark. Parents are the initial society for the child, so the children highly dependent on their opinion. In several recent studies, it is worth noting how parents' expectations affect children's academic performance. Based on these studies, it turned out that about 66 % of students have better academic performance due to pressure from parents, but about 32.6 % of students had mental health problems, since development from the mental, social and emotional side largely depends on parents [3]. It often happened that schoolchildren were afraid to go home, because parents could beat or punish a child because of an unsatisfactory grade. Parents who attribute the results of achievements primarily to abilities and intelligence often expect constant academic performance, since abilities change as an unchangeable entity that is difficult for an individual to change. Parents with this statement consider that future success depends on past success. In addition, there are those who consider the efforts of students as a factor of the child's academic performance, so if they spend more effort, it means that they will adjust their assessment, and therefore increase their level of knowledge.

Parents demanding high rating scores from the child, not paying attention to the internal state of the children leads to the fact that the child is exposed to a lot of stress.

What problems can obsession with grades lead to?

Stress is characterized by the emotional and physical state of the body. In the case of stress, some students, like adults, try to cope in various ways that can adversely affect health. Such an example is the consumption of alcohol, nicotine and narcotic drugs. Furthermore, in case of the condemnation from parents, children's self-esteem can significantly decrease and lead to various mental illnesses, such as depression, since the child begins to think he is stupid and does not represent anything.

In addition, it should be noted that the concern of the assessment among parents and students is much higher in Asian countries than in European and American countries. One example is the deplorable experience of India, when the number of suicides among students in the period between 2020 and 2021 was approximately 13 thousand cases [4]. Of course, the number of suicides among students depends not only on the «failure in the exam», but also affects other aspects of life, including relationships with parents and in society. The next example is a survey among high school students in Korea(Seoul) in 2021, where among 5,669 students, about 27 % thought about suicide [5].

Korean Education System

The South Korean education system is known for its rigor and inflated academic standards. On the basis of this system, its disadvantages will be considered:

Students in South Korea are exposed to a high level of stress, as they are required to perform well in their studies. As a result, students find themselves on the verge of their mental and physical abilities, which lead to high levels of stress, anxiety and, in some cases, depression [6].

The Korean education system places great emphasis on exams in order to further determine a student's academic and career opportunities, so GPA plays a significant role in admission to Korean universities. But if you pay more attention to tests, a child can reduce the level of comprehensive development and lose the true value of education. The next disadvantage due to the obsession with exams is that little attention is paid to creativity and critical thinking [7].

Conclusion

Based on the above, it should be noted how the excessive obsession with grades negatively affects the life of students. However, is it possible to change something?

It will be difficult to completely exclude grades, however, if you use full reflection, which the teacher will give to the student and his parent, so that the child knows where work is required. In addition, if you include more tasks for the development of critical thinking and creativity, then the level of education can significantly increase.

References:

1. Alfie, Kohn The Case Against Grades / Kohn Alfie. — // Alfie Kohn organization: [site]. — URL: https://www.alfiekohn.org/article/case-grades/
2. Gerald, E. K. Harvard Business Publishing Education / E. K. Gerald. — // Why Focusing on Grades Is a Barrier to Learning?: [site]. — URL: https://hbsp.harvard.edu/inspiring-minds/why-focusing-on-grades-is-a-barrier-to-learning
3. Andleeb, Haider Parental Expectations & Effect of Perceived Academic Stress on Students Performance / Haider Andleeb. — // Journal of Psychology & Psychotherapy: [site]. — URL: https://www.longdom.org/open-access/parental-expectations-effect-of-perceived-academic-stress-on-students-performance-91672.html
4. IANS Fear of failure drove 13,089 students to suicide in 2021; Maha tops list / IANS. // Bussiness Insider India: [site]. — URL: https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/fear-of-failure-drove-13089-students-to-suicide-in-2021-maha-tops-list/articleshow/96317606.cms
5. YONHAP, N. A. 1 in 3 young students felt suicidal due to academic burden: poll / N. A. YONHAP. — YNA: [site]. — URL: https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20210419007000315
6. Se-Woong, Koo An Assault Upon Our Children / Koo Se-Woong. —// New York Times: [site]. — URL: https://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/02/opinion/sunday/south-koreas-education-system-hurts-students.html
7. Alessandra, Bossonomi. The Dark Side of the Korean Education System and New Purposes for the Future / Bossonomi Alessandra. —// The Asian: [site]. — URL: http://www.theasian.asia/archives/99165