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Scientists at the University of Michigan have found that the order in which teachers grade papers can influence students' grades. Snob.ru reports this.
A study published in the journal Management Science found that when teachers graded papers in alphabetical order, students with last names starting with A through E scored 0.3 points higher on average than those with last names starting with A. F to Z.
When tested in random order, no such effect was observed.
The researchers believe that this bias may be caused by teachers becoming tired and losing concentration towards the end of grading papers. This results in students whose last names are at the bottom of the alphabetical list receiving lower grades.