You heard it here first: class attendance is correlated with test performance. The discovery was made in two undergraduate anthropology courses in Astana, Kazakhstan, though the findings can probably be replicated elsewhere. This result runs counter to the widely held consensus among undergraduate students, that it is not important to attend lectures.

Figure 1. Midterm exam scores (out of 32 points) plotted against class attendance (left) and participation grades (right), for one biological anthropology class. Correlations and regressions slopes are significantly higher than zero.

Highly paid scientists collected data on students’ midterm exam scores, the number of sessions students were physically present at a lecture (“attendance”), and how they performed on in-class quizzes (“participation”). As quizzes are based on course readings, participation measures active investment beyond simply attendance.

Figure 2. Same variables plotted as in the previous figure, but for a second class (exam out of 25 points). In addition to linear regression lines (solid black), polynomial regressions (dashed red) were also fit for this class. Polynomial regressions have slightly lower standard errors and slightly higher coefficients of determination. Linear regressions have slopes significantly different from zero while polynomial coefficients are not statistically significant. Either way, more investment generally translate into higher grades.

The researchers were shocked to find positive relationships between students’ exam performance and measures of course participation and active participation. “With the rise of unsourced information on the internet, we assumed students didn’t need to go to class – what could a professor possibly say in lecture that can’t hasn’t already been said on ‘the Net’,” said an out of touch analyst who wasn’t involved in the analysis. The lead investigator of the study remarked, “All college students are hard-working and motivated, so we figured they would read and come to lectures if they knew they’d benefit. Our findings hint that maybe they don’t know everything after all.”

Scientists think these findings have important implications for students everywhere. An empirical link between active participation in class and grades mean that a student’s chances of doing passing or even excelling in a class can improve dramatically with increased attendance. So take note, students: read and go to class! Who knows, you might even learn something from it.

* These are my students’ actual grades and attendance this semester. No undergraduates were harmed in this study.