AI Bias in Middle School Science Assessment

Study Notes

AI Bias and Linguistic Discrimination

Increasing use of artificial intelligence (AI) raises concerns about bias and discrimination in its applications.
The study examines an AI application that uses natural language processing (NLP) to automate assessment and feedback on middle school science writing.
Linguistic discrimination in this context refers to the unfair assessment of writing based on nonnormative features, such as subject-verb disagreement.

Purpose of the Assessment

The main goal of the assessment is to evaluate the content of scientific explanations rather than the writing mechanics of English.
Focus on students explaining roller coaster designs by discussing scientific concepts like potential energy, kinetic energy, and conservation of energy.

Study and Participants

Involves analysis of scientific essays from 307 eighth-grade students.
Comparison made between initial and revised versions of students’ essays after receiving NLP-generated feedback.

Findings and Analysis

The NLP assessment tool did not penalize essays with nonnormative writing features, indicating fairness in evaluation.
Statistical analyses (Repeated measures ANOVAs and GLMM) showed significant improvement in essay quality from initial to revised versions, regardless of linguistic discrepancies.
The study points towards positive implications for using NLP in educational settings, especially in reducing linguistic bias in assessments.

Description

This quiz explores the implications of using artificial intelligence in assessing middle school science writing, focusing on the issue of linguistic discrimination. It discusses how natural language processing can reduce bias in feedback and assessment. Learn about the research findings and their significance in educational practices.