Fairness and using reflective journals in assessment

This study looks at the fairness of assessing learning journals both as the fairness in creating a valid and robust marking process as well as how different student groups may have unfair disadvantages in performing well in reflective assessment tasks. The fairness of a marking process is discussed through reflecting on the practical process and concluded with a cautionary note on the challenges on the path to a valid and robust process. A quantitative process is applied to studying the learning journals themselves. This analysis uncovers a reality of relatively low starting levels for reflection and potential barriers to reflection grounded in culture, gender and language. The importance of formative and summative assessment, guidance on how to reflect as well as sensitivity to the cohort are offered as practical implications to others introducing reflection as part of assessment.