The effect of variations in handwriting and print on evaluation of student essays

The variety of factors contributing to the quality of handwriting or print provides an
opportunity to determine the extent to which teachers are influenced by the interaction
between different bias elements during evaluation of examinations. Fifty-three teachers
evaluated compositions that had been awarded grades of 80% by impartial experts. A
comparison was made of scores assigned to essays containing a variety of biasing factors:
legibility as opposed to illegibility, use of different writing tools, and employment
of esthetic devices such as color or underlining. Findings: the hypothesis examined was
supported, indicating that assessors cumulatively incorporated biases deemed pertinent and
fair into the grade, and overlooked those considered irrelevant