Sense of justice about grades in school: is it stratified like academic achievement?

Abstract

Education is a distinct "sphere of justice" where resources and rewards (educational 'goods') are being constantly distributed, and the fairness of their allocation is being evaluated, eliciting a sense of justice or injustice among the evaluators. A sense of (in)justice is a subjective perception of an individual that the reward s/he receives (actual reward) does not match the reward s/he thinks s/he deserves (just reward). This study investigates students' sense of (in)justice about grades in school, focusing on two questions: (a) What is the level (intensity) of sense of injustice in three subjects: language, mathematics, science (b) Are students' sense of (in)justice stratified by gender and SES, similar to the well known stratification of academic achievement? The study was carried out in Israel in conjunction with PISA international assessment in a national sample of 165 high schools among 4,500 15 year old students.

Justice, belonging and trust among Israeli middle school students

“…The gender effect is also consistent, suggesting that girls are more attached to the school and more trusting. Previous findings show that girls tend to feel more content with their grades than boys (Jasso & Resh, ; Dar & Resh, ; Resh & Dalbert, ; Resh, ), and the same might be the case for their relations with teachers. The current findings suggest that this greater level of contentment affects their sense of belonging to school and trust more strongly.…”

“…In general, students from advantaged backgrounds and students with higher achievements are also more adjusted to school life and to its academic and social requirements. Thus, they are expected both to sense less injustice (Resh, ) and to feel a greater sense of belonging to school (e.g., Johnson et al ., ; Willms, ). With respect to social and institutional trust, this may be stronger among the better educated, who enjoy societal benefits and hold a greater share of social capital.…”

Distributive Justice Antecedents of Race and Gender Disparities in First-Year College Performance

“…Assignment to a higher academic track is considered a reward. An injustice will exist when the reward a student receives (track placement) does not match the reward the student deserves based on his/her merit (Resh, 2010). Distributive justice occurs when the student is placed in an academic track that is commensurate with his/her merits (as operationalized as prior mathematics achievement).…”

“…Education and justice have long been the focus of inquiry in philosophy, the law, social science, and the practice of schooling. Social scientists recognize that access to a quality education, a highly valued societal resource, operates as an institutional setting wherein resources needed for learning and rewards for achievement are distributed by educational actors and decision-makers (Resh, 2010;Walzer, 1983). The pre-college educational context is crucially important for developing the foundational skills necessary for success in the first year of college.…”

Tiesiskā apziņa un tiesiskais nihilisms

“…Uzticēšanās ir būtiska iezīme demokrātiskas pilsoniskās sabiedrības attīstībā -skolēni, kuriem šķiet, ka viņu skolotāji pret viņiem ir izturējušies taisnīgi, būs tādi, kuriem varēs uzticēties [24]. Izglītojamiem, kuri savus pedagogus uztver kā taisnīgus, ir tendence atturēties no vardarbības un vairāk iesaistīties ārpusstundu pasākumos un brīvprātīgo organizācijās [23]. Vecāki atzīst, ka sociālā integrācija pozitīvi ietekmē bērnus pilsoniskās izglītošanas jomā [10].…”