In this article, we present a curricular perspective that can be used to understand students’ focus on assessment in higher education. We propose that the degree of alignment between the objectives and assessment of the curriculum plays a crucial role in students’ motivation. In case of perfect alignment, all objectives have an equitable probability of being assessed. Thus, all learning contributes to performance equitably. Consequently, the motivation to perform and the motivation to learn should result in the same learning behaviour and performance. However, in reality, a certain degree of cognitive and operant misalignment of the assessment with the objectives is present. Hence, some objectives will not need to be mastered in order to pass certain assessments. Consequently, a distinction arises between assessed and unassessed learning, and only the assessed learning contributes to performance. Thus, the probability of performing well on assessments is higher when students focus their effort on the assessed learning only, instead of dividing their effort between the assessed and unassessed learning. Therefore, students who are motivated to perform have a motivation that fits in a misaligned curriculum. The article concludes with implications of this curricular fit perspective for assessment practices, as well as for motivational research.

在本文中，我们提出了一个课程视角，可以用来理解学生对高等教育评估的关注。我们建议，目标与课程评估之间的一致性程度在学生的动机中起着至关重要的作用。在完美对齐的情况下，所有目标都有被公平评估的可能性。因此，所有学习都会公平地为绩效做出贡献。因此，表演的动机和学习的动机应导致相同的学习行为和表现。但是，实际上，评估与目标之间存在一定程度的认知和操作失调。因此，为了通过某些评估，不需要掌握某些目标。因此，评估学习与未评估学习之间存在区别，并且只有经过评估的学习才能为绩效做出贡献。因此，当学生仅将精力集中在评估学习上，而不是将他们的努力分配在评估学习和未评估学习之间时，在评估中表现良好的可能性就更高。因此，有动力去表现的学生会具有与课程错位相适应的动机。本文最后总结了这种课程适应性观点对评估实践以及动机研究的意义。受到激励的学生表现出的动机与课程的错位相吻合。本文最后总结了这种课程适应性观点对评估实践以及动机研究的意义。受到激励的学生表现出的动机与课程的错位相吻合。本文最后总结了这种课程适应性观点对评估实践以及动机研究的意义。