A Comparison of Assessment Book Authors’ and Educators’ Perspectives on Ethics Issues in Assessment: A Review Study

Abstract

Assessment book authors’ perspectives on ethical assessment practices are not necessarily consistent with those of educators. This study’s purpose was to explore similarities and differences between the two perspectives. Researchers presented scenarios of classroom assessment practices to gain insights into educators’ perspectives on ethical issues. Fourteen scenarios that were common across three empirical research articles were selected. Educators had similar opinions on a scenario if 70% or more respondents selected “ethical” or “unethical” on one item. Twenty-five assessment-related books were reviewed to present the authors’ views on the ethicality of classroom assessment practices. The results showed that assessment book authors and educators held similar views on five of the 14 scenarios. Findings might inform the professional development of in-service teachers and the training of pre-service teachers. The results can inform assessment book authors in the future development to address ethics issues in assessment and practitioners in educational technology to consider ethical issues in the process of designing assessment tasks.