Location

Daytona Beach, Florida

Description

Of 1038 naval flight students, 943 Caucasian males, 23 African American males, 41 Hispanic males and 31 females had their flight training performance analyzed. Aviation selection test scores, academic grades and flight grades were examined to determine objective and subjective grading reliability. To facilitate cross comparison all test scores were transformed into Navy Standard Scores with a mean of 50 and standard deviation of 10. It was hypothesized that flight instructor grading bias would appear as inconsistent means and/or variances compared to objectively derived aptitude and academic performance. Comparing flight instructor subjectively determined flight grades to objectively determined aptitude scores and academic grades revealed no significant difference for Caucasians, African American or Hispanic males. However, there was significant difference between female aptitude scores and flight grades. Female flight grades were significantly higher than aptitude scores would predict. No other differences were found. Conclusions about flight instructor grading bias is fairly clear. For males there appears to be no bias. For females the bias is positive, ie., higher flight grades than would be predicted by their flight aptitude scores. In general, flight instructors grading patterns were extremely consistent when compared to objectively determined aptitude and academic test scores.

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Flight Instructor Grading Bias Involving Students With Racial, Ethnic and Gender Differences

Daytona Beach, Florida

Of 1038 naval flight students, 943 Caucasian males, 23 African American males, 41 Hispanic males and 31 females had their flight training performance analyzed. Aviation selection test scores, academic grades and flight grades were examined to determine objective and subjective grading reliability. To facilitate cross comparison all test scores were transformed into Navy Standard Scores with a mean of 50 and standard deviation of 10. It was hypothesized that flight instructor grading bias would appear as inconsistent means and/or variances compared to objectively derived aptitude and academic performance. Comparing flight instructor subjectively determined flight grades to objectively determined aptitude scores and academic grades revealed no significant difference for Caucasians, African American or Hispanic males. However, there was significant difference between female aptitude scores and flight grades. Female flight grades were significantly higher than aptitude scores would predict. No other differences were found. Conclusions about flight instructor grading bias is fairly clear. For males there appears to be no bias. For females the bias is positive, ie., higher flight grades than would be predicted by their flight aptitude scores. In general, flight instructors grading patterns were extremely consistent when compared to objectively determined aptitude and academic test scores.