What is test bias and fairness?

Test fairness is an aspect of language testing which is hotly debated in the literature. A test may be considered biased when students having the same language ability perform differently. … A test may be considered biased when students having the same language ability perform differently.

What is fairness in psychological assessment?

Fairness in psychological testing means providing equal opportunity for all the test-takers to demonstrate their true performance on the measured construct. Fairness offers comparable validity across groups within the population of interest.

What is an example of assessment bias?

When assessments are not fair, they are biased. “Assessment bias occurs whenever test items offend or unfairly penalize students for reasons related to students’ personal characteristics, such as their race, gender, ethnicity, religion, or socioeconomic status” (Popham 2003).

What are three important aspects in determining the fairness of a test?

They include evidence based on (1) test content, (2) the cognitive response processes required, (3) the internal structure of the test, and (4) the relationship of test scores with external measures. These sources of evidence provide a framework for evaluating fairness and bias for specific groups of examinees.

How do you ensure fairness in a test?

6 Ways to Ensure Your Assessment Practices are Fair and Unbiased

1. Don’t rush.
2. Plan your assessments carefully.
3. Aim for assignments and questions that are crystal clear.
4. Guard against unintended bias.
5. Ask a variety of people with diverse perspectives to review assessment tools.
6. Try out large-scale assessment tools.

What does bias of a test mean?

Educational tests are considered biased if a test design, or the way results are interpreted and used, systematically disadvantages certain groups of students over others, such as students of color, students from lower-income backgrounds, students who are not proficient in the English language, or students who are not …

How is test fairness determined?

The fairness of an exam refers to its freedom from any kind of bias. The exam should be appropriate for all qualified examinees irrespective of race, religion, gender, or age.

Does bias affect validity or reliability?

Understanding research bias is important for several reasons: first, bias exists in all research, across research designs and is difficult to eliminate; second, bias can occur at each stage of the research process; third, bias impacts on the validity and reliability of study findings and misinterpretation of data can …

What is an example of information bias?

Missing data can be a major cause of information bias, where certain groups of people are more likely to have missing data. An example where differential recording may occur is in smoking data within medical records. The bias was more likely when the exposure is dichotomized.

How do you investigate the test of fairness?

Statisticians can conduct series of examinations for an assessment to measure its fairness, such as comparing a variety of population samples, comparing features of the test with samples from different populations, and examining similarities and differences of the test structure.

What are biases in psychology?

Key Points. Cognitive or psychological bias is the tendency to make decisions or take action in an unknowingly irrational way. It can harm not only your decision making, but also your judgment, values, and social interactions.

What is the difference between fairness and bias?

As noted by Brown et al. 1999, fairness is a moral, philosophical, or legal issue on which reasonable people can legitimately disagree. By contrast, bias is an empirical property of a test, as used with two or more specified groups. Thus, bias is a statistically estimated quantity rather than a principle established through debate and opinion.

What does fairfairness mean to you?

Fairness is treating people justly, not letting your personal feelings bias your decisions about others. You want to give everyone a fair chance, and believe there should be equal opportunity for all, though you also realize that what is fair for one person might not be fair for another.

What is bias in psychology?

Thus, bias is a statistically estimated quantity rather than a principle established through debate and opinion. A second distinction is that between test bias and item offensiveness. In the development of many tests, a minority review panel examines each item for content that may be offensive to one or more groups.

Is fairfairness validity or cultural bias in racial/group assessment?

Fairness is not validity or cultural bias in racial/group assessment: A quantitative perspective . American Psychologist , 61 , 845 – 859 . Herrnstein, R. J., & Murray, C. ( 1994 ). The bell curve.