Ali, 1 Anthony Ali 12, December, 2013 English 120A Professor Seehafer Text 2 Final Bias: Teacher and

Student Interaction In o r e!ery"ay li!es #e all ha!e ex$ectations% The society ex$ects s to "o goo", to "o right by other $eo$le, an" to ma&e the right "ecisions rather than the #rong% These ex$ectations $lay a large role in the aca"emic school system% St "ent's are ex$ecte" to st "y, to res$ect, an" to ma&e goo" gra"es in class% Altho gh these ex$ectations may not $ro!e fair if they are ( "ge" by the teacher's !ie# an" not by their aca"emic $erformance% The $roblem is that some teachers gra"e assignments s ch as $a$ers t rne" in by st "ent's #ith little to extreme biase"% This biase" im$acts the st "ent)s gra"e by the st "ent's $ersonality rather than their act al #or&% The o$inion of #hether teachers belie!e that teachers may be are biase" &no#ingly or n&no#ingly #ill be teste" an" $ro!en nfair to $ers a"e $eo$le to "o more abo t the aca"emic school system an" gra"ing% *eing biase" is a h man trait that cannot be han"le" by oneself beca se it is a $art of them an" that $erson is% *iase" in gra"ing can ha!e mean many "ifferent meanings% The #or" bias, accor"ing to Professor +anning, means, ,$re( "ice in fa!or of or against one thing, $erson, or gro $ com$are" #ith another, s ally in a #ay consi"ere" to be nfair or ca se to feel or sho# inclination or $re( "ice for or against someone or something%- In my o#n #or"s, being biase" is fa!oring one $erson o!er another for any reason% +any traits are $ t in to consi"eration #hen thin&ing of biase" by teachers, s ch as a st "ent's race, gen"er, atten"ance, an" mostly $ersona%

Ali, 2 From the British Journal of Educational Psychology, an article in title, Gender differences in teachers' perceptions of student's' temperament, (EC) educational competence, and teachability, states that a ,st "ent's tem$erament- $lays a &ey role in st "ent's gra"es% The a thor states, ,St "ent's tem$erament $lays a significant role I teachers $erce$tion of the st "ent's learning style, e" cational com$etence, an" teachability% .ence, tem$erament contrib tes to st "ent's aca"emic achie!ement an" teachers s b(ecti!e ratings of school gra"e- /0elti&angas1% Tem$erament is im$ortant beca se the tem$erament of a st "ent can ca se biase"ness to#ar" a teacher #hich #ill in ret rn affect the st "ent's gra"e% These are mostly acc sations #hich can be $ro!en or "is$ro!e" acc rately by statistics an" scientific research% The gro $ of a thors examine" the effect of the teachers an" st "ent's gen"er to see if it ha" any correlation to the gra"es of the st "ent's% The sam$le they se" came from a $o$ lation base" sam$le of three tho san" t#o h n"re" an" t#el!e st "ent's an" t#o h n"re" an" t#enty one teachers% 2ertain metho"s #hich #ere analy3e" #ith m lti4le!el mo"eling #ere se" to research the hy$othesis of #hether gen"er of the st "ent or teacher affects the st "ent)s gra"e% +etho"s s ch as the tem$erament assessment battery for chil"ren, s r!eys on e" cational com$etence an" teachability #ere se" to fin" the res lts of their research% The res lts $ro!e" that there #as biase" to#ar"s gen"er an" gra"es% ,Teachers $ercei!e" boys tem$erament an" E2 more negati!ely than girls% .o#e!er the "ifferences bet#een boy an" girls #ere not as large #hen $ercei!e" by male teachers% As they #ere #hen $ercei!e" by female teachers- /0elti&angas1% 5ith the res lts it is easy to concl "e that that males $ercei!e" the boys more $ositi!ely an" more ca$able of E2 an" teachability than their female $eers% If the teacher $ercei!e" one $erson to be more of anything than another $erson " e to their gen"er than that is biase" in itself% The a thor's go on to state, ,they #ere also stricter regar"ing their $erce$tions of

Ali, 3 girls traits% 5ith increasing age, males $ercei!e" boy)s inhibition as higher an" moo" lo#er% 6enerally, the ol"er the teacher, the more mat re he7she $ercei!e" the st "ent- /0elti&angas1% To be $ercei!e" by another teacher an" ha!ing ex$ectations set by them is not fair for the st "ent% This exam$le is only of gen"er% There are other exam$les o t there that sho# that st "ent's are being gra"e" nfair by teachers #ho se their $erce$tion an" ex$ectations of the st "ent's negati!ely #hich affects the st "ent)s gra"e% S e *oxham an" Ste!e *oy" #rote, ,Acco ntability in gra"ing st "ent's #or&8 sec ring aca"emic stan"ar"s in a t#enty4first cent ry 9 ality ass rance context-, #ritten in the *ritish E" cational :esearch ;o rnal shares the same !ie# of biase" in gra"ing% This st "y shares ho# the .S<T, #hich is also &no#n as the Sub ect Centre of the !igher Education "cademy, set $ a 'college of $eers' #here the st "ents an" other $eers across "ifferent ni!ersities re!ie#e" gra"e" st "ent #or&% They "i" this to ens re that instr ctors #ere sing the same gra"ing stan"ar"s set by each "isco rse comm nity% This st "y #as con" cte" in or"er to, ,hel$ the s b(ect comm nity establish an" maintain stan"ar"s- /*oxham an" *oy"e1% In or"er to fin" more effecti!e #ays of gra"ing #itho t being biase"% St "ies li&e these sho# ho# so m ch can be $ t into acco nt #hen it comes to st "ent's gra"es% Another st "y con" cte" by Arna " 2hea!lier sho#s, ,#hether assignments to a same gen"er teacher infl ences st "ent achie!ement, teacher $erce$tions of st "ent $erformance, an" st "ent engagement%- This st "y $resents ne#er e!i"ence that sho# ho# teacher4st "ent interactions $lay a role in st "ent aca"emic o tcomes% 2he!alier se" "ata gathere" by male an" female mi""le to high school st "ent's, ages =41> years ol"% These st "ent's aca"emia #as recor"e" by a sam$le of test scores in "ifferent s b(ects s ch as math, science, an" rea"ing% ?nce the information #as gathere", the statistics sho#e" a "irect correlation to teachers' interactions

Ali, @ #ith st "ent's an" the o tcome of their gra"e% ,For exam$le, there is contro!ersial e!i"ence base" on classroom obser!ations that teachers are more li&ely to offer $raise an" reme"iation in res$onse to comments by boys b t mere ac&no#le"gment in res$onse to comments by girls/6ermain, <ine, an" Scan" ra1% Asing this information, it is easy to concl "e that teachers may ha!e "ifferent aca"emic ex$ectations for boy an" girls% ,The biase" ex$ectations of teachers may then become self4f lfilling #hen st "ents res$on" to them-, this is also &no#n as the Pygmalion effect /6ermain, <ine, an" Scan" ra1% F rther research is nee"e" to "efinitely "efine the $roblem of bias gra"ing% So m ch can ca se a teacher to feel "ifferently abo t one chil", #hich in ret rn, can affect their gra"e% :ace also $lays a ma(or role in a sit ation li&e this% ,:ecent research s ggest that a same4race teacher may infl ence st "ent o tcomes thro gh $henomenon li&e role4mo"el effects, stereoty$e threat, an" teacher biases- /2he!alier an" .an she&1% This is not fair for the st "ent nor the aca"emic comm nity% Teacher biases sho l" be sto$$e" beca se so m ch can affect the st "ent's gra"e% 2he!alier states, ,6en"er interactions bet#een st "ents an" teachers are conse9 ential an" that it #o l" be #orth#hile to &no# more abo t #hy s ch st "ent4teacher interactions matter-, an" ho# they change the $erce$tion of a teachers !ie# on a certain st "ent's% This in ret rn ma&es the teachers less bias in gra"ing $a$ers, #hich in ret rn, #ill most li&ely be better if the st "ent interact to the teacher on a normal basis% There are many sol tions for teachers to be less biase" to#ar"s a st "ent's gra"e% These are all $ractical sol tions #hich sho l" be im$lemente" in the gra"ing system for no biasness% Since all $a$ers are t rne" in #ith a hea"ing an" a name the teacher sho l" as& the st "ent's to not $ t their name on it% If the teacher #ere to gra"e $a$ers #itho t a st "ent's name he7she #ill not $ t anything to acco nt b t the aca"emia #ritten on the assignment% ?ne $ossible sol tion to

Ali, B this #o l" be to se the st "ent's st "ent i"entification n mber or a ran"om n mber selecte" before class% The teacher #ill not be able to se biasness s ch gen"er, age, or $ersona for gra"ing the $a$er% E!en tho gh teachers may not &no# they are being biase" an" gra"ing $a$ers nfair they #ill not be able to "o that since the st "ent's name #ill not be on the assignment% This is one $ossible sol tion to gra"ing $a$ers #itho t being biase"% Another sol tion to en" bias in gra"ing $a$ers #o l" be to ha!e m lti$le teachers gra"e an assignment% This sol tion is more extreme an" allo#s for the assignment to be gra"e" more than once by other teachers for maxim m $oints% If one teacher #ere to rea" one assignment an" gra"e it one #ay, for some reason it is gra"e" "ifferently by another teacher% If one teacher #ere to gra"e a st "ent's $a$er, an" fin" it to be an ,A- $a$er, an" another teacher fin"s the same $a$er to be a ,*- $a$er, then #hy not a!erage the t#o gra"es% Essentially a $a$er #hich is gra"e" by one teacher can be a * min s $a$er, #hile it #o l" be an A $l s $a$er if some other teacher #o l" ha!e gra"e" it% If three teachers #ere allo#e" to gra"e one assignment #ritten by st "ent the gra"e #o l" be more acc rate once a!erage"% This ma&es $eo$le thin& of ho# one assignment is gra"e" "ifferent by one teacher than others, Is this fairC Is this rightC Is this the best #ay $ossibleC I "o not thin& ha!ing a $a$er gra"e" by one teacher is the best #ay an" that the aca"emic system sho l" someho# come $ #ith better sol tions to hel$ the st "ent%

Ali, D

Works Cited: 2he!alier Arna "% ETeachers' Perce$tions An" A4<e!el Performance8 Is There Any E!i"ence of Systematic *iasC%E #$ford %e&ie' #f Education 3@%@ /200F18 @034@23%5eb% *loxham, S e, an" Pete *oy"% EAcco ntability in 6ra"ing St "ent 5or&8 Sec ring Aca"emic Stan"ar"s in a T#enty4First 2ent ry G ality Ass rance 2ontext%E British Educational %esearch Journal 3F%@ /201218 D1B4D3@% 5eb% 6ermain, +arie4<ine, an" Terri A% Scan" ra% E6ra"e Inflation an" St "ent In"i!i" al Differences as Systematic *ias in Fac lty E!al ations%E Journal #f (nstructional Psychology 32%1 /200B18 BF4D>% 5eb% 0elti&angas4;Hr!inen <isa E6en"er Differences In Teachers' Perce$tions of st "ents' Tem$erament, E" cational 2om$etence, An" Teachability%EBritish Journal of Educational Psychology F2%2 /201218 1FB420D% 5eb% +anning ;ohn% ,G estions abo t *iase" Teachers in 2lassrooms-% Inter!ie#%