---
_id: '61863'
abstract:
- lang: eng
  text: 'Human life is increasingly quantified. From blood pressure to body mass index,
    from likes and retweets to performance metrics at work, from IQ results to facial
    attractiveness scores issued by smartphone apps. Many of these numbers have the
    potential to substantially shape how individuals view themselves, and yet the
    link between quantification and self-image is to date not well understood. My
    window into this phenomenon is one of the most ubiquitous and influential metrics
    worldwide: the school grade. Based on ethnographic fieldwork in a German comprehensive
    school, I explore how students’ self-images are shaped by their numbers. Comparing
    students’ official and unofficial remarks reveals a striking contrast between
    a seemingly detached stance toward marks and a powerful feeling of being defined
    by them—notably with regards to “intelligence.” Nevertheless, rather than passively
    identifying with their grades, especially low-performing students draw on a wide
    range of strategies in an effort to negotiate their self-image in light of their
    numbers. '
author:
- first_name: Noëlle
  full_name: Rohde, Noëlle
  id: '114557'
  last_name: Rohde
  orcid: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8703-8738
citation:
  ama: Rohde N. 'It’s Understandable If It Destroys You, Right?’—Grades, Students’
    Self-Images, and Quantification. <i>Journal of Contemporary Ethnography</i>. 2023;52(5):607-632.
    doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/08912416231157369">10.1177/08912416231157369</a>
  apa: Rohde, N. (2023). 'It’s Understandable If It Destroys You, Right?’—Grades,
    Students’ Self-Images, and Quantification. <i>Journal of Contemporary Ethnography</i>,
    <i>52</i>(5), 607–632. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/08912416231157369">https://doi.org/10.1177/08912416231157369</a>
  bibtex: '@article{Rohde_2023, title={''It’s Understandable If It Destroys You, Right?’—Grades,
    Students’ Self-Images, and Quantification}, volume={52}, DOI={<a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/08912416231157369">10.1177/08912416231157369</a>},
    number={5}, journal={Journal of Contemporary Ethnography}, publisher={SAGE Publications},
    author={Rohde, Noëlle}, year={2023}, pages={607–632} }'
  chicago: 'Rohde, Noëlle. “''It’s Understandable If It Destroys You, Right?’—Grades,
    Students’ Self-Images, and Quantification.” <i>Journal of Contemporary Ethnography</i>
    52, no. 5 (2023): 607–32. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/08912416231157369">https://doi.org/10.1177/08912416231157369</a>.'
  ieee: 'N. Rohde, “''It’s Understandable If It Destroys You, Right?’—Grades, Students’
    Self-Images, and Quantification,” <i>Journal of Contemporary Ethnography</i>,
    vol. 52, no. 5, pp. 607–632, 2023, doi: <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/08912416231157369">10.1177/08912416231157369</a>.'
  mla: Rohde, Noëlle. “'It’s Understandable If It Destroys You, Right?’—Grades, Students’
    Self-Images, and Quantification.” <i>Journal of Contemporary Ethnography</i>,
    vol. 52, no. 5, SAGE Publications, 2023, pp. 607–32, doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/08912416231157369">10.1177/08912416231157369</a>.
  short: N. Rohde, Journal of Contemporary Ethnography 52 (2023) 607–632.
date_created: 2025-10-16T14:08:12Z
date_updated: 2025-10-17T06:33:56Z
doi: 10.1177/08912416231157369
extern: '1'
intvolume: '        52'
issue: '5'
language:
- iso: eng
main_file_link:
- open_access: '1'
oa: '1'
page: 607-632
publication: Journal of Contemporary Ethnography
publication_identifier:
  issn:
  - 0891-2416
  - 1552-5414
publication_status: published
publisher: SAGE Publications
status: public
title: '''It’s Understandable If It Destroys You, Right?''—Grades, Students’ Self-Images,
  and Quantification'
type: journal_article
user_id: '114557'
volume: 52
year: '2023'
...