This study investigates the effects of evaluation by adding or deducting marks on writing performance using aptitude treatment interaction with regulatory foci. A total of 42 college students (31 females) were recruited for the study and were assigned to one of two conditions, namely, (a) adding marks, where the students were evaluated by adding marks and (b) deducting marks, where the students were evaluated by deducting marks. In the experiment, the students first performed a writing task. Feedback (FB) was then provided, after which they performed a second writing task. Results indicated that in the adding marks condition, students’ writing performance tend to be better than that in the deducting marks condition. In other words, evaluation by adding marks may activate students’ promotion focus and enhance the production of sentences, such that performance is improved. Moreover, regardless of evaluation condition, students with chronic promotion focus intended to utilize FB information, whereas those with chronic prevention focus wrote less original compositions. These findings suggest that promotion-focused students, who were oriented toward advancement, used information from the evaluation to improve their compositions. In contrast, prevention-focused students, who were oriented toward security, restrained the production of original contents because they may aim to maintain the structure of the first composition.
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