Biased grades? Changes in grading after a blinding of examinations reform

Abstract

Group differences in average grades prior to and after a step-wise introduction of blinded examinations at Stockholm University are examined. Relative to students with 'native' names, students with 'foreign' names appear to experience weak positive bias in the grading of their examinations, but the estimated effect is sensitive to model specification. No substantial effects of blinding examinations with respect to male-female gaps are found. The results suggest that examinerswhen the names of students are disclosed to themif anything have a weak tendency to positively discriminate for students perceived to have an immigrant background, but they do not appear to discriminate on the basis of gender.

Demographic biases and assessment fairness in classroom: insights from Iranian university teachers

“…The study’s results may be explained from this dimension that the university teachers might have considered a group of students more capable and skilled. That is, due to the cultural and traditional assumptions defining suitable properties for the context at hand, the university teachers’ assessment practices may have been affected (Correll & Benard, 2006 ; Bygren, 2020 ). These cultural and traditional assumptions might come into play in the testing process and the university teachers might assess equivalent performances differently.…”

“…Teachers’ prior beliefs and the relations of these prior beliefs with a group of students may have different consequences for students taking a test. Teachers and test-makers are “identified with, and are categorized into, multiple social categories, and suffer or benefit from the status of these categorizations combined” (Bygren, 2020 , p. 4). In other words, as Correll and Benard ( 2006 ) note, cultural and traditional factors in connection with the context surrounding may affect assessment practices.…”

“…In other words, as Correll and Benard ( 2006 ) note, cultural and traditional factors in connection with the context surrounding may affect assessment practices. In this sense, students who show “contextually unusual properties may, consciously or sub-consciously, be assumed to be (contextually) less competent, or held to a harsher standard than groups with contextually expected properties” (Bygren, 2020 , p. 4).…”

An innovation on clinical placement for occupational therapy mental health during the COVID-19: A mixed-methods feasibility study

“…Although the assessment has been conducted by practicing a high level of integrity among the assessors and having standardized marking rubrics, assessments were not blinded thus may be susceptible to particular bias. Hence, the high involvement of the researcher in this study may unintentionally contribute toward observer bias on the favorable outcome or known as positive bias; Bygren ( 48 , 49 ) better marks in the current cohort may be influenced by this. However, awareness of risk of being bias may also have made the assessors stricter, known as negative bias ( 48 , 49 ).…”

“…Hence, the high involvement of the researcher in this study may unintentionally contribute toward observer bias on the favorable outcome or known as positive bias; Bygren ( 48 , 49 ) better marks in the current cohort may be influenced by this. However, awareness of risk of being bias may also have made the assessors stricter, known as negative bias ( 48 , 49 ). Hence, the findings from this study are valuable but need to be cautiously accepted.…”