A comparative study of Chinese and United States pre-service teachers’ perceptions about ethical issues in classroom assessment

• We investigated the perceptions of pre-service teachers in the United States and China about ethics in classroom assessment practices.
• We developed 36 scenarios that described teachers actions or thoughts related to ethics and assessment practices.
• Chinese and American pre-service teachers were divided within and between countries on issues related to assessment practices.
• The study offers insights for developing ethical guidelines in classroom assessment in both cultures.
• Cultural issues related to ethics should be included in assessment courses for pre-service teachers.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceptions of pre-service teachers in the United States and China about ethics of classroom assessment practices. To investigate pre-service teachers’ perceptions, we developed 36 scenarios that described teachers’ actions or thoughts related to ethics and assessment practices. Participants were 173 pre-service teachers in the U.S. and 174 pre-service teachers in China. Overall, the perceptions of Chinese and American respondents were divided within countries on different scenarios. In addition, chi-square analyses contrasting Chinese responses with American responses indicated that the pre-service teachers had statistically significant differences in their opinions on 22 out of 36 scenarios, but only 13 had practical significance (effect size ≥ .3). Chinese and American pre-service teachers had similar perceptions on 14 scenarios. In some instances, respondents’ perceptions of the ethics of assessment practices depicted in the scenarios did not agree with the literature on classroom assessment. The findings offer insights for developing ethical guidelines in classroom assessment in both cultures. In addition, we recommend that cultural issues as related to ethics should be included in assessment courses for pre-service teachers.