Conceptualising fairness in classroom assessment: exploring the value of organisational justice theory

Abstract

Fairness has recently moved into the spotlight as a core foundation of classroom assessment (CA). However, despite its significance for high-quality CA, fairness definitions and theories have been limited in the literature. Driven by the critiques directed at the ‘inadequacy’ and ‘fuzziness’ around CA fairness and recommendations to conceptualise fairness particularly for CA contexts, this paper aims to provide an explicit definition of CA fairness. Specifically, this paper brings together current scholarship in organisational justice theory and recent findings from the CA fairness literature to offer a more thorough conceptualisation. This conceptualisation not only presents a distinction between justice and fairness, but also provides a novel discussion of the relationship between justice and fairness with consideration for potential effects on students’ learning. The paper concludes with an agenda for further research on CA fairness.