Why are grades lowered for students with last names?

The closer a schoolchild's or student's last name is to the end of the alphabetical list, the more often they receive low grades. Moreover, teachers are more likely to make negative comments about them. This discovery was made by scientists from the American University of Michigan. Although, many people noticed this pattern without their research. But why does this happen?

Scientists from the United States analyzed a huge amount of data regarding academic performance. The information came from dozens of schools, colleges and universities located in different states. The study covered the period from 2014 to 2022. A University of Michigan press release said the difference in grades between the group of students whose alphabetical last names were at the top of the list and those at the bottom of the list was 0.6 points.

It may seem that the figure is very small and can be neglected. But this is not true, because it affects the average grade at the end of the study, and therefore affects the career prospects of students. Scientists believe that banal fatigue is to blame for everything. By the end of the list, the teacher inevitably gets tired, loses concentration and patience. Students begin to irritate the examiner and this is reflected in the grades.

The solution to this problem lies on the surface. To avoid underestimation of grades for students with surnames beginning with the last letters of the alphabet, you simply need to shuffle the lists. That is, arrange the names in random order. It is important to do this afterwards so that the names are constantly moved and no one “stays too long” at the end of the list. In addition, it is advisable to attract more teachers so that they are less tired.

The researchers shared their observations with teachers. They agreed with them. Many reported that they themselves had guessed about this for a long time. Of course, the students also knew about this. One of them even asked to give him a paper with a low grade so that he could show it to his parents. His last name was one of the last on the list, as it began with the letter W. He wanted to prove that his poor academic performance was connected precisely with this circumstance.

On the other hand, you can’t blame everything on fatigue. There are examples in history when teachers were an order of magnitude worse educated than their students.