Transparency, Ethical Framing, and User Agency as Determinants of Trust in AI-Mediated Assessment: Informing the Design of Trustworthy Systems

Abstract

As artificial intelligence (AI) systems assume greater responsibility in educational assessment, questions surrounding fairness, transparency, and trust have become central to their ethical and pedagogical legitimacy. Yet, little empirical work has examined how specific design features shape students’ trust in AI-driven assessment, particularly in contexts where algorithmic decisions carry meaningful academic consequences. This study examines how transparency, ethical framing, and user agency influence students’ trust in an AI-based assessment platform. Using a 2 × 2 × 2 between-subjects experimental design with 240 undergraduate participants, the study isolates the main and interaction effects of these variables on trust, perceived fairness, perceived control, and adoption intention. Findings indicate that transparency is the most influential predictor of trust, while user agency functions as a compensatory mechanism in low-transparency conditions. Ethical framing, although theoretically salient, showed limited impact once users interacted with the system directly and shifted their attention toward the more concrete procedural cues embedded in the interface. A significant interaction between transparency and agency underscores the importance of aligning epistemic clarity with procedural control to foster behavioral commitment. These results support a multidimensional model of trust that incorporates emotional security, procedural justice, and behavioral intent. Overall, the study underscores that trust in AI assessment is not a byproduct of system accuracy alone but a reflection of students’ perceived legitimacy of the evaluative process.