Moral Responsibility in Grade Inflation: Where Does It Lie?
Article
Article Title | Moral Responsibility in Grade Inflation: Where Does It Lie? |
---|---|
ERA Journal ID | 20375 |
Article Category | Article |
Authors | Radavoi, C., Collins, P. and Quadrelli, C. |
Journal Title | Journal of Academic Ethics |
Article Number | advance online |
Year | 2025 |
ISSN | 1570-1727 |
1572-8544 | |
Digital Object Identifier (DOI) | https://doi.org/10.1007/s10805-025-09627-x |
Web Address (URL) | https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10805-025-09627-x?utm_source=rct_congratemailt&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=oa_20250410&utm_content=10.1007%2Fs10805-025-09627-x#citeas |
Abstract | Grade inflation has been shown in this and other academic journals to be an unethical academic practice. Where the moral responsibility lies is, however, not entirely clear. Various studies directly or impliedly point to the grader (university lecturer, tenured or casual), said to inflate grades mainly in return for positive student evaluations. This article employs empirical (academics’ feelings about grade inflation) and conceptual (coercion theory) tools to further elucidate the proper allocation of blame. We find that depending on the individual circumstances of the grader, some can be exonerated from blame, as having acted under coercion when inflating grades. |
Keywords | grade inflation; coercion; student evaluation of teaching (SET); applied ethics; higher education |
Contains Sensitive Content | Does not contain sensitive content |
ANZSRC Field of Research 2020 | 390303. Higher education |
500199. Applied ethics not elsewhere classified | |
489999. Other law and legal studies not elsewhere classified | |
Byline Affiliations | School of Law and Justice |
Institute for Resilient Regions | |
Academic Transformation Portfolio | |
Academic Quality Unit |
https://research.usq.edu.au/item/zx08y/moral-responsibility-in-grade-inflation-where-does-it-lie
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