Students’ perceptions of fairness in groupwork assessment: validity evidence for peer assessment fairness instrument

Figures & data

Table 1. Overview of participants’ demography (n = 190).

	N (Percentage)
Gender
Female	114 (60.0%)
Male	69 (36.3%)
Genderqueer	2 (1.1%)
Non-binary	2 (1.1%)
Prefer not to say	3 (1.6%)
Student Status
Home student	159 (83.7%)
EU student	9 (4.7%)
International	22 (11.6%)
Ethnicity Background
Asian or Asian British	21 (11.1%)
Black, Black British, Caribbean or African	7 (3.7%)
Mixed or multiple ethnic groups	10 (5.3%)
White	149 (78.4%)
Other ethnic group	1 (0.5%)
Prefer not to say	2 (1.1%)
Prior Groupwork Experience
Yes	148 (77.9%)
No	42 (22.1%)
Positive Prior Group Experience
Strong disagree	7 (3.7%)
Disagree	22 (11.6%)
Neutral	57 (30.2%)
Agree	78 (41.3%)
Strongly agree	25 (13.2%)
Choice of Group Task over Individual Task
Strong disagree	36 (18.9%)
Disagree	65 (34.2%)
Neutral	48 (25.3%)
Agree	29 (15.3%)
Strongly agree	12 (6.3%)
Choice of Group Members
Tutor Allocated	142 (74.7%)
Self-selected based on knowing them beforehand	32 (16.8%)
Self-selected without knowing them beforehand	6 (3.2%)
Other	10 (5.3%)

Figure 1. Polychoric correlation for the PAFI items.

Figure 2. Parallel analysis scree plots.

Table 2. Standardized factor loadings for the PAFI items.

Items	ML 1 (Grade Congruence)	ML 2 (Performative Group Dynamics)	ML 3 (Interpersonal Treatment)	Item Complexity
Q29. The grade I received reflected the effort I put in.	1.02			1.0
Q31. The grade I received reflects what I contributed to the group work.	0.78			1.1
Q22. My group members did their allocated tasks properly.		0.96		1.0
Q16. In general, my group members consistently followed their allocated roles and schedules		0.93		1.0
Q26. My group members communicated details in a timely manner.		0.85		1.0
Q10. My group members remained professional in doing their groupwork properly at all times.		0.73		1.1
Q24. My group members explained the task decisions they make thoroughly.		0.71		1.2
Q23. My group members were open and frank in their communications with me.		0.69		1.1
Q15. My group members didn’t exploit me.		0.57		2.1
Q19. My group members based decisions on accurate information.		0.45	0.39	2.0
Q25. I agreed with the decisions my group members made on the task.		0.47	0.39	1.9
Q12. I was able to express my views to my group members.			1.01	1.0
Q20. I could discuss and appeal the decisions that my group members made.			0.79	1.0
Q11. My group members treated me with respect.			0.63	1.4
Q17. Decisions that my group members made were not biased			0.56	1.3
Q14. I was treated the same as other group members.			0.62	1.2
Q18. My group members treated me in a polite manner.		0.31	0.60	1.5
Q13. My group members gave me recognition and praise		0.33	0.53	1.8
Q21. My group members were able to accommodate my specific needs.		0.33	0.53	1.7
Q9. My group members were empathetic and supportive.		0.48	0.41	2.1
Proportion of Explained Variance	9%	34%	27%
Coefficient Alpha	0.78	0.95	0.94
Omega reliability		0.96	0.95

Figure 3. Frequency of students’ responses to the PAFI items.

Table 3. Studies and related items focusing on fairness as a variable in peer assessment review (Panadero et al. 2023).

Studies	Items
Zou et al. 2017	‘I doubt the fairness of peer review’
Carvalho 2013	6. My team’s final mark was fair; 7. The peer assessment in my team was adjusted
Panadero, Romero, and Strijbos 2013	“Do you believe that your peer will conduct a fair assessment of your concept map?”
Li and Steckelberg 2004	7. The peers’ comments on my work were fair; 8. Peers can assess fairly.
Güler 2017	used three items from (Vanderhoven et al. 2015); Assessment by means of [mode of peer assessment] happened in an honest way; Assessment by means of [mode of peer assessment] happened in a correct way; Assessment by means of [mode of peer assessment] happened in a subjective way.
Seifert and Feliks 2019	To what extent did you think that your peers’ comments were fair?; To what extent do you think that you assessed your peers’ works fairly?
Vander Schee and Birrittella 2021	I believe the peer group grading process was fair
Wilson, Diao, and Huang 2015	One item measuring student perception of fairness (not reported in the text).
Lin 2018	“Peer comments I received from peer assessment were not fair enough.”
Wen and Tsai 2006	24. I think PA is fair to assess students’ performance; 36. Online PA activities are fair when assessing students’ performance
Strijbos, Narciss, and Dünnebier 2010	I would be satisfied with this feedback; I would consider this feedback fair; I would consider this feedback justified

Panadero, E., M. Alqassab, J. Fernández Ruiz, and J. C. Ocampo. 2023. “A Systematic Review on Peer Assessment: Intrapersonal and Interpersonal Factors.” Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education 48 (8): 1053–1075. doi:10.1080/02602938.2023.2164884.

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Zou, Y., C. D. Schunn, Y. Wang, and F. Zhang. 2017. “Student Attitudes That Predict Participation in Peer Assessment.” Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education 43 (5): 800–811. doi:10.1080/02602938.2017.1409872.

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Carvalho, A. 2013. “Students’ Perceptions of Fairness in Peer Assessment: Evidence from a Problem-Based Learning Course.” Teaching in Higher Education 18 (5): 491–505. doi:10.1080/13562517.2012.753051.

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Panadero, E., M. Romero, and J. Strijbos. 2013. “The Impact of a Rubric and Friendship on Peer Assessment: Effects on Construct Validity, Performance, and Perceptions of Fairness and Comfort.” Studies in Educational Evaluation 39 (4): 195–203. doi:10.1016/j.stueduc.2013.10.005.

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Li, L., and A. Steckelberg. 2004. “Using Peer Feedback to Enhance Student Meaningful Learning.” Paper presented at the Conference of the Association for Educational Communications and Technology, Chicago, USA.

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Güler, Çetin. Ç 2017. “Use of WhatsApp in Higher Education: What’s up with Assessing Peers Anonymously?” Journal of Educational Computing Research 55 (2): 272–289. doi:10.1177/0735633116667359.

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Seifert, T., and O. Feliks. 2019. “Online Self-Assessment and Peer-Assessment as a Tool to Enhance Student-Teachers’ Assessment Skills.” Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education 44 (2): 169–185. doi:10.1080/02602938.2018.1487023.

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Vander Schee, B. A., and T. D. Birrittella. 2021. “Hybrid and Online Peer Group Grading.” Marketing Education Review 31 (4): 275–283. doi:10.1080/10528008.2021.1887746.

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Wilson, M. J., M. M. Diao, and L. Huang. 2015. “I’m Not Here to Learn How to Mark Someone Else’s Stuff’: An Investigation of an Online Peer-to-Peer Review Workshop Tool.” Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education 40 (1): 15–32. doi:10.1080/02602938.2014.881980.

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Lin, G.-Y. 2018. “Anonymous versus Identified Peer Assessment via a Facebook-Based Learning Application.” Computers & Education 116: 81–92. doi:10.1016/j.compedu.2017.08.010.

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Wen, M. L., and C.-C. Tsai. 2006. “University Students’ Perceptions of and Attitudes toward (Online) Peer Assessment.” Higher Education 51 (1): 27–44. doi:10.1007/s10734-004-6375-8.

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Strijbos, J.-W., S. Narciss, and K. Dünnebier. 2010. “Peer Feedback Content and Sender’s Competence Level in Academic Writing Revision Tasks: Are They Critical for Feedback Perceptions and Efficiency?” Learning and Instruction 20 (4): 291–303. doi:10.1016/j.learninstruc.2009.08.008.

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