Assessing ethics education through national tests—an advantage or not?

Figures & data

Table 1. Ability and knowledge requirement for ethics education according to teacher instructions, grades six and nine respectively.

Grade	Ability	Selected parts of knowledge requirements
6	Reason and discuss moral issues and values based on ethical concepts and models	The pupil can apply … reasoning about everyday moral issues, and what it might mean to do good. The pupil makes reflections … and uses some ethical concepts in a … functional way
9	Reason and discuss moral issues and values based on ethical concepts and models	The pupil can reason and argue about moral issues and values by applying … informed reasoning, and using ethical concepts and models…

Table 2. Tasks testing ethics in the 2013 national test, grade six.

Grade 6, task no.	Content (abbreviated)	Concepts/Models suggested for use	Type of task
3	Maria and Keyla, have been friends for a long time. Maria has a problem with sweating. Should Keyla talk to Maria about this or not? Their friends regard this to be a problem. Task: write down what Keyla should do and argue also why and what consequences there might be of what she does. Use two of the suggested concepts	Responsibility Wrong Right Duty Fair	Open, free writing
9	Ethical concepts. Combine a statement with one of the three suggested concepts and argue which one fits best. (1) Boys and girls should be treated equally (2) If I see that someone else is feeling left out/an outsider, I show that I want to be a friend to that person (3) Where I live, there is a sports hall. Teams of boys and girls practise there. All the teams have 5 h a week for training (4) In Sweden same-sex marriages are allowed. This means that you are allowed to marry someone of the same sex as yourself	Suggested concepts per task (1) Empathy, solidarity, equality (Sw. jämlikhet) (2) Justice, solidarity, equality (3) Justice, solidarity, empathy (4) Empathy, justice, equality	One of the three concepts to be ticked, and then one should argue for one’s choice. Assessment instructions indicate that the construction of reasoning is what matters not which concept was chosen
10	The task is introduced with the heading ‘Violation’ (Sw. kränkning). Students are instructed to invent a situation that exemplifies a violation, to briefly describe the situation and argue for why it is a violation and then to suggest what could be done to improve the situation		Open, free writing
13	The task is introduced by a chat conversation between two students. One has been absent from school the same day and asks the other one for notes he/she has taken during the day. The student does not seem to want to hand over the notes, and ends the conversation saying the computer must be used by the student’s mother. The task is to discuss the situation and possible consequences it might have. At least two of five suggested concepts are to be used	Responsibility Wrong Right Fair Duty	Open, free writing

Table 3. Tasks testing ethics in the 2013 national test, grade nine.

Grade 9, task no.	Content (abbreviated)	Concepts/Models suggested for use	Type of task
12	Forgiveness is introduced and called an ethical concept, and reference is made to students perhaps having experienced being forgiven or having forgiven. Task: discuss why forgiveness can be of importance to both the one being forgiven and the one that forgives	Forgiveness	Open, free writing
24	It is stated that models can be used as tools for ethical discussion. Three kinds of ethical theories (A–C) are described as models. Students are then to match each description with the name of three ethical theories (1–3). The theories are also given synonyms (here in parenthesis)	(1) Intentionalist ethics/(disposition ethics) (2) Consequentialist ethics/(effect or result ethics) (3) Deontological ethics/(rule ethics)	Combine A–C with 1–3
25	In this task, the death penalty is introduced through a short text ending by stating that one can argue for or against it. In the task, students are to discuss whether the death penalty is right or wrong using the models/ethical theories from the earlier task	Intentionalist ethics Consequentialist ethics Deontological ethics	Open, free writing