Detecting Gender Bias in Peer Marking of Students’ Group Process Work

Concerns relating to the reliability of teacher and student peer assessments are discussed, and some correlational analyses comparing student and teacher marks described. The benefits of the use of multiple ratings are elaborated. The distinction between gender differences and gender bias is drawn, and some studies which have reported gender bias are reviewed. The issue of ‘blind marking’ is addressed. A technique for detecting gender bias in cases where student raters have awarded marks to same and opposite sex peers is described, and illustrated by data from two case studies. Effect sizes were found to be very small, indicating an absence of gender bias in these two cases. Results are discussed in relation to task and other contextual variables. The authors conclude that the technique described can contribute to the good practice necessary to ensure the success of peer assessment in terms of pedagogical benefits and reliable and fair marking outcomes.     

On Rewarding and its Educational Significance

Propensity score matching (PSM) has become a popular approach for research studies when randomization is infeasible. However, there are significant differences in the effectiveness of selection bias reduction among the existing PSM methods and, therefore, it is challenging for researchers to select an appropriate matching method. This current study compares four commonly used PSM methods for reducing selection bias on observational data from which the treatment effects are intended to be assessed. The selection bias, standardized bias and percent bias reduction are evaluated for each of the PSM methods using empirical data drawn from the national Education Longitudinal Study of 2002. The results of the current study provide empirical evidence and helpful information for researchers to select effective PSM methods for their research studies.     

Cross-Modal Transfer of Shape is Difficult to Demonstrate in One-Month-Olds

We tested 1-month-olds for cross-modal transfer of shape between touch and vision using a procedure described by Meltzoff and Borton, but including controls for side bias and stimulus preference. In Experiment 1 (N = 48), infants' looking times to smooth and nubby visual stimuli were not influenced by previous oral exposure to one of the shapes during the preceding 90 s, except for an effect on the first test trial in one group; this effect could have been due to limited cross-modal transfer, to Type 1 error, or to side bias, possibly interacting with a small stimulus preference. The failure of that effect to replicate in a group (N = 16) with less side bias (Experiment 2) suggests that it was not due to cross-modal transfer. Experiment 3 (N = 32), an exact replication of Meltzoff and Borton's experiment, also failed to yield evidence of cross-modal transfer. Overall, there is not good evidence that 1-month-olds can transfer information about these shapes from touch to vision. Future studies exploring the ability to transfer information about other shapes will be easier to interpret if they include controls for side bias and stimulus preference.     

The Strange Case of the Disappearing Sex Bias

Bradley (1984) suggested that second markers of student projects, who have less expertise, exhibit a pattern of marking bias whereby female students are marked less extremely than males. Newstead & Dennis (1990) failed to reproduce the pattern of results which prompted this conclusion. Bradley (1993b) suggests that either (i) the second markers in Newstead and Dennis's study may have shown a one‐way bias where females are consistently marked down or (ii) the two‐way bias proposed by Bradley (1984) may not have been detected because it was present in supervisors as well as second markers. These two suggestions were evaluated through further analysis of the original data and consideration of other data sets. Neither is well supported. The proposal that supervisors display biases towards individual students which are stronger for females but which were less marked in the former polytechnics with their heavier teaching loads remains a viable explanation of the data of both Bradley (1984) and Newstead & Dennis (1990), though direct evidence in its support is still lacking.     

An Examination of the Effects of Situational Constraints on Appraised Performance

Most workers are subject to factors in the work place that are beyond their power to control and that act to restrict their performances. Despite the uncontrollable nature of these ‘“situational constraints,” there is evidence that appraisals of work performance tend lo unfairly blame the worker for the shortfalls in performance that these constraints cause. The magnitude of this tendency may be unclear due to the ways in which constraints have been assessed in previous research. A lab study was conducted to obtain a better estimate of the magnitude of situational constraint “bias” using a relativistic rating method that factors out the influence of constraints from performance appraisals. The results indicated that this bias is considerably stronger than previous reports had indicated and may be the dominant source of unfairness in performance appraisals.     

Are men intimidated by highly educated women? Undercover on Tinder

In this study, we examine the impact of an individual's education level on her/his mating success on the mobile dating app Tinder. To do so, we conducted a field experiment on Tinder in which we collected data on 3,600 profile evaluations. In line with previous research on mating preferences from multiple fields, our results indicate a heterogeneous effect of education level by gender: while women strongly prefer a highly educated potential partner, this hypothesis is rejected for men. In contrast with recent influential studies from the field of economics, we do not find any evidence that men would have an aversion to a highly educated potential partner. Additionally, in contrast with most previous research – again from multiple fields – we do not find any evidence for preferences for educational assortative mating, i.e. preferring a partner with a similar education level.     

Examining creativity in Turkey: Do Western findings apply?

Different cultures have unique perspective on creativity, yet it is usually the American/Western perspective represented in the psychological literature. Here the authors test previous, Western research findings in creativity on Turkish participants. Study One looks at gender and age differences in creativity. Study Two explores the relationship between creativity and motivation, and Study Three examines the factor structure of creativity. In general, the authors were able to validate past research on Western populations. Creativity tended to increase with age, and intrinsic motivation is significantly correlated with creativity. Some gender differences were found (unlike in Western findings), and there were some differences in the factor structure of creativity.     

Progress For Women In Academe,Yet Inequities Persist: Evidence from NSOPF:99

In this study, we use data from the 1999 National Study of Postsecondary Faculty (NSOPF:99) to measure the unexplained wage gap between men and women in academe. We pay particular attention to how these unexplained wage gaps have changed over time by comparing the results from the 1999 survey to published results from previous national surveys and test for the sensitivity of these findings to the method used for measuring the unexplained wage gap and the type of institution or field being examined. We found that there has been a notable reduction in the overall unexplained wage gap between men and women, and that there is no longer any evidence of a statistically significant pay differential between men and women in doctoral-level or liberal arts institutions. The results also show that significant pay differentials still persist in some segments of academe, and that overall women with comparable qualifications to men have lower salaries.Earlier versions of this paper were presented at the annual meetings of the Association for Institutional Research, Tampa, FL, May 2003, and the Association for the Study of Higher Education, Portland, OR, November 2003.     

Sex does not matter: gender bias and gender differences in peer assessments of contributions to group work

This paper considers the possibility of gender bias in peer ratings for contributions to team assignments, as measured by an online self-and-peer assessment tool. The research was conducted to determine whether peer assessment led to reliable and fair marking outcomes. The methodology of Falchikov and Magin was followed in order to test their finding that gender has no discernable impact on peer ratings. Data from over 1500 participants at two universities enrolled in four different degree programmes were analysed. The research indicates an absence of gender bias in six case studies. The research also found that women received significantly higher ratings than men.     

A study of test speededness as a potential source of bias in the quantitative score of the Admission Test for Graduate Study in Business

Minority and majority groups were administered a special quantitative section of the Admission Test for Graduate Study in Business (ATGSB) under varying time conditions to determine if increasing the time allotted for the test would eliminate any bias that may exist due to an irrelevant speed factor. By a commonly employed definition, the special section was found to be moderately speeded for all candidates under normal time conditions. Neither the main effects due to time condition nor the interaction between the ethnic and time factors was statistically significant, suggesting that increasing the time per item does not reduce any bias that may exist in the test. Although a substantial proportion of minority group scores fell at or below the chance level, these appeared to retain fairly high levels of reliability.The authors wish to thank the Graduate Business Admissions Council, which supported this research.     

The impact of anonymous marking on students’ perceptions of fairness,feedback and relationships with lecturers

Anonymity in marking is a contentious issue within higher education. Conflicting research findings have identified issues surrounding gender bias, ethnicity bias and fairness in marking. However, the effects of anonymity upon feedback mechanisms have not been systematically explored. This study sought to understand the effects of anonymous marking and feedback upon students’ perceptions of its potential for future learning and relationship building with their lecturers. First year United Kingdom undergraduate business, politics, pharmacy and french students experienced anonymous and non-anonymous marking of coursework across different modules. Student performance data were collected, and a survey was administered following the completion of their modules. Results revealed that anonymous marking did not seem to advantage or disadvantage particular groups of students in terms of grade outcome. There was no significant difference in perceptions of fairness according to whether or not marking was anonymous. Furthermore, the results suggest that anonymous marking might undermine the learning potential of feedback, and minimise the strength of the relationship between lecturers and students, which may minimise the role of dialogue in the feedback process.     

How specific is the shape bias?

Children tend to extend object names on the basis of sameness of shape, rather than size, color, or material-a tendency that has been dubbed the "shape bias." Is the shape bias the result of well-learned associations between words and objects? Or does it exist because of a general belief that shape is a good indicator of object category membership? The present three studies addressed this debate by exploring whether the shape bias is specific to naming. In Study 1, 3-year-olds showed the shape bias both when asked to extend a novel name and when asked to select an object of the same kind as a target object. Study 2 found the same shape bias when children were asked to generalize properties relevant to category membership. Study 3 replicated the findings from Study 1 with 2-year-olds. These findings suggest that the shape bias derives from children's beliefs about object kinds and is not the product of associative learning.     

From a social to a cultural approach in the study of cognitive activities: The fundamental role of semiotic systems

The consideration of the semiotico-cultural dimension of cognitive development has failed to appear in most of the studies conducted in the psychosociology of cognitive constructions. The theoretical and epistemic implications which follow from it are discussed in relation to the contribution of the pragmatic and dialogical approaches of Peirce and Vygotsky. Recent research on the cognitive effects of the social signification of tasks can provide evidence of the semiotic dimension of social contexts of the knowledge insertion and thus introduce the notion of ‘virtual social reality’. A new interpretation of the effects of the performance transfers, observed in this kind of studies is proposed. The traditional explanations in terms of social experience and social marking are questioned through original research that whose results illustrate the fundamental role of the use and self-appropriation of sign systems.     

Predictors of Future Performance in Architectural Design Education

The link between academic performance in secondary education and the subsequent performance of students studying architecture at university level is commonly questioned by educators and admissions tutors. This paper investigates the potential for using measures of cognitive style and spatial ability as predictors of future potential in architectural design education. The research investigates the relationship between the academic performance of three cohorts of architectural students and their cognitive style (as measured by the Cognitive Style Analysis), spatial ability (measured by the redrawn Vandenberg mental rotation test), and performance in secondary education (measured by the make‐up of their portfolio of secondary qualifications). The results from the research provide little evidence to suggest that any of the measurements were good predictors of eventual performance. Neither were there any significant interactions between the test scores, performance, and gender. Nevertheless, there was evidence suggesting that students with certain cognitive styles were less likely to complete the course, particularly those with a verbaliser cognitive style. Furthermore, a significant proportion of female, wholist students also failed to complete the course.     

College quality and early adult outcomes

This paper estimates the effects of various college qualities on several early adult outcomes, using panel data from the National Education Longitudinal Study. I compare the results using ordinary least squares with three alternative methods of estimation, including instrumental variables, and the methods used by Dale and Krueger [(2002). Estimating the payoff to attending a more selective college: An application of selection on observables and unobservables. Quarterly Journal of Economics, 117(4), 1491–1528.] and Black and Smith [(2004). How robust is the evidence on the effects of college quality? Evidence from matching. Journal of Econometrics, 121, 99–124.]. I find that college quality does have positive significant effects on most outcomes studied using OLS. While there is some evidence of positive selection bias in the OLS results, the alternative methods rarely produce findings that are significantly different from the OLS estimates. Furthermore, alternative methods have their own limitations, which are discussed. Across methods of estimation, there is solid evidence of positive effects of college quality on college graduation and household income, and weaker evidence of effects on hourly wages.     

Toys and Materials as Setting Events for the Social Interaction of Preschool Children with Special Needs

The present study compared the effects of social and isolate toys as setting events on the social interactions of 2 pre-school-aged children with special education needs in a setting that approximated a regular pre-school environment. A single subject alternating treatment design was used for 3 days a week over a 7 week period. Findings of this study showed there was no consistent overall difference between social and isolate toys. This was in contrast to previous studies that have found differences in interaction patterns across conditions. There were also two unanticipated findings from the study. While there was no evidence of an overall difference between social and isolate toys, there was some evidence of an interaction. Students with special education needs tended to interact more with each other when using isolate toys and tended to interact more with regular peers when using social toys. Further, it was also found that particular toys from both social and isolate classifications were consistently associated with social interaction across both subjects while other toys were not associated with social interaction. This raises questions about the validity of traditional classifications of toys and materials. The use of toys to promote social interaction is a potentially valuable technique but this study raises questions that indicate a need for further research.