The Dilemma of Grades: Reconciling Disappointing Grades With Feelings of Personal Success

This study examines how students reconcile disappointing grades with feelings of personal success. Findings from 8 focus group interviews at 2 universities illustrate that this reconciliation is a communicative dilemma in which students regularly engage. To reconcile this dilemma, students draw on positive discourses of personal growth and genuine learning to describe their success. Findings suggest that, despite the conflict that arises in teacher–student communication about grades, such conversations can be engaged in a positive and constructive manner.