Ethics and Language Assessment Standards in Sociocultural-Historical Contexts: A Systematic Review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33541/jet.v12i2.8104Keywords:
accountability, ethics and language assessment standards, FairnessAbstract
Ethics and language assessment standards ensure assessors’ fairness, accountability, and transparency. However, these can be questionable in different sociocultural historical contexts. This review seeks an understanding of how ethics and standards intersect with cultural-historical factors in language assessment, including how assessor bias could be minimized in different cultural-historical contexts. Herein, the review examines research articles on ethical considerations in assessment standards, cultural responsiveness, historical developments, impacts on assessment outcomes, and challenges and solutions. Using the PRISMA procedure with citation chaining, 40 peer-reviewed articles were identified and included in the review. The findings revealed the rise of justice-oriented and culturally sustaining ethical frameworks that enhance fairness in language assessment but remain difficult to fully implement in actual ELT practices. Cultural responsiveness tends to be restricted by standardization, institutional constraints, and colonial legacies that continue to shape assessment ethics. However, when applied in an effective manner, ethical standards could improve fairness and stakeholder trust, yet systemic inequities, limited resources, and emerging issues from AI integration would pose ongoing challenges. Therefore, policymakers, educators, and test developers should stress the need for collaborative, context-sensitive, and reflective approaches that further promote culturally grounded, socially just, and technologically informed ethical practices in language assessment.
References
Ahmedova, M. (2025). Scaling of students’ language skills in English as a foreign language. EuroGlobal Journal of Linguistics and Language Education, 2(1), 24–32. https://doi.org/10.69760/egjlle.250003
Bachman, L. F. (2024). Modern language testing at the turn of the century: assuring that what we count counts. Language Testing, 17(1), 1–42. https://doi.org/10.1177/026553220001700101
Baidoo-Anu, D., Lei, L., Cisterna, D., & Song, Y. (2023). Cultural validity: Promoting cultural responsiveness in classroom assessment. Diaspora, Indigenous, and Minority Education, 18(3), 160–181. https://doi.org/10.1080/15595692.2023.2193883
Bérešová, J. (2014). Ethical awareness and fairness in language testing. European Scientific Journal, 10(10), 572–577. https://www.academia.edu/120445004
Bernard, D. M. (2023). Beyond assessments: Exploring strategies for Afro-Descendant students’ success in Costa Rica. Journal of Social, Humanity, and Education, 3(3), 253–269. https://doi.org/10.35912/jshe.v3i3.1475
Bhatti, A. M., & Bashir, A. (2025). From Textbooks to Tests: The Role of Cultural Integration in Shaping Outcomes of English Language Assessment in Punjab, Pakistan. Research Square. https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7583969/v1
Boyd, K., & Davies, A. (2002). Doctors’ orders for language testers: the origin and purpose of ethical codes. Language Testing, 19(3), 296–322. https://doi.org/10.1191/0265532202lt231oa
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77-101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
Brignardello-Petersen, R., & Guyatt, G. H. (2025). Assessing the certainty of the evidence in systematic reviews: importance, process, and use. American journal of epidemiology, 194(6), 1681–1686. https://doi.org/10.1093/aje/kwae332
Brown, H. D., & Abeywickrama, P. (2018). Language assessment: Principles and classroom practices (3rd ed.). Pearson Education.
Burstein, J., & LaFlair, G. T. (2024). Where assessment validation and responsible AI meet. Language Teaching Research Quarterly, Special Issue, 1–31. https://doi.org/10.48550/arxiv.2411.02577
Cervatiuc, A. (2024). The social dimension of language testing. In J. I. Liontas (Ed.), The TESOL encyclopedia of language teaching (pp. 1–7). Wiley.
Englert, K., & Shultz, P. K. (2025). Reconsidering theories of action. In C. M. Evans & C. S. Taylor (Eds), Culturally Responsive Assessment in Classrooms and Large- Scale Contexts: Theory, Research, and Practice (pp. 156–176). Routledge.
Galaczi, E., & Pastorino-Campos, C. (2025). Ethical AI for language assessment: Principles, considerations, and emerging tensions. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 45, 294–314. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0267190525100081
Gelvez-Manrique, J. D., Parada-Carreño, M. J., & Hernández-Albarracín, J. D. (2025). Beyond technicism: ethical-epistemological foundations for a situated and critical educational assessment. AiBi Journal of Research, Administration and Engineering, 13(2), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.15649/2346030X.5422
Ghanbari, H. (2024). Educational Reform Through Designing Culturally Appropriate Assessment Frameworks. Journal of Comparative & International Higher Education, 16(4), 45–51. https://doi.org/10.32674/y2mw3n24
Haney, W., & Madaus, G. F. (1991). The Evolution of Ethical and Technical Standards for Testing. In R. K. Hambleton & J. N. Zaal (Eds), Advances in Educational and Psychological Testing: Theory and Applications (pp. 395–425). Springer Dordrecht.
Inbar-Lourie, O. (2021). Evaluating language assessments. Language Assessment Quarterly, 18(2), 199–203. https://doi.org/10.1080/15434303.2021.1872577
Jankowski, N. A., & Baker, G. R. (2025). The role of culturally responsive assessment in culturally responsive curriculum. In R. Rantz & L. McNulty (Eds), Developing Culturally Responsive Curriculum in Higher Education (pp. 439– 452). IGI Global.
Jesson, J., Matheson, L., and Lacey, F. (2011). Doing Your Literature Review: Traditional and Systematic Techniques. Sage Publishing.
Kerr, B. G., & Averill, R. (2024). Culturally sustaining assessment for indigenous learners in aotearoa New Zealand: Drawing from policy, research, and educator voices. Teaching and Teacher Education, 143(1), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2024.104567
Liu, J., Bon, S., Fan, X., Hardie, S., & Ding, R. (2024). A comparative mixed‐methods study of in‐service teachers’ ethical judgment about student assessment practices. Psychology in the Schools, 61(9), 3441–3464. https://doi.org/10.1002/pits.23226
Ma, Z. (2025). From Validity to Equity: Revisiting CET-4 Through Messick, Kane, and Paraskeva’s Frameworks. International Journal of Language and Linguistics, 13(3), 147–157. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijll.20251303.14
McIntosh, L. (2024). Language and Decolonisation: An Interdisciplinary Approach. In F. Ndhlovu & S. J. Ndlovu-Gatsheni (Eds), Decolonising competency-based assessment through autoethnographic approaches. Routledge.
Moher, D., Liberati, A., Tetzlaff, J., Altman, D. G., & PRISMA Group. (2009). Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses: The PRISMA Statement. Annals of Internal Medicine, 151, 264–269.https://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-151-4-200908180-00135
Randall, J., Poe, M., Oliveri, M. E., & Slomp, D. (2023). Justice-Oriented, Antiracist Validation: Continuing to Disrupt White Supremacy in Assessment Practices. Educational Assessment, 29(1), 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1080/10627197.2023.2285047
Schissel, J. L. (2023). Bias, Discrimination, and the Social Consequences of Unproblematized Assessments in TESOL. TESOL Quarterly, 57(2), 716–721. https://doi.org/10.1002/tesq.3219
Shohamy, E. (1997). Testing methods, testing consequences: are they ethical? Are they fair?. Language Testing, 14(3), 340–349. https://doi.org/10.1177/026553229701400310
Solano-Flores, G. (2019). Examining Cultural Responsiveness in Large-Scale Assessment: The Matrix of Evidence for Validity Argumentation. Frontiers in Education, 4, 1–9. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2019.00043
Solano-Flores, G. (2022). Fairness in Testing: Designing, Using, and Evaluating Test Accommodations for English Learners. In J. L. Jonson & K. F. Geisinger (Eds), Fairness in Educational and Psychological Testing: Examining Theoretical, Research, Practice, and Policy Implications of the 2014 Standards (pp. 271– 292). American Educational Research Association.
Steele, C., Gower, G., & Bogachenko, T. (2024). Creating and enacting culturally esponsive assessments for First Nations students in higher education settings. Australian Journal of Education, 68(2), 84–102. https://doi.org/10.1177/00049441241258496
Taylor, C. D., & Evans, C. M. (2025). Culturally responsive assessment. Routledge. https://api.pageplace.de/preview/DT0400.9781040337448_A50972424/preview-9781040337448_A50972424.pdf
Taylor, C. D., & Ferrara, S. (2025). A measurement argument for culturally responsive assessment. In C. M. Evans & C. S. Taylor (Eds), Culturally Responsive Assessment in Classrooms and Large-Scale Contexts: Theory, Research, and Practice (pp. 135–155). Routledge.
Ojochegbe, A. T. (2024). Rethinking Standardized Testing in English Language Proficiency: Moving Toward Culturally Responsive Assessment Models. Jurnal Pendidikan Indonesia, 5(12), 1990–1996. https://doi.org/10.59141/japendi.v5i12.6584
Pandey, G. P. (2024). From traditional to modern: Evolving practices in language testing and assessment. Interdisciplinary research in education, 9(2), 26–37. https://doi.org/10.3126/ire.v9i2.75020
Plakans, L., & Lee, K. (2026). Fairness, justice, and criticality: Reviewing second language writing assessment. Language Teaching, 59(1), 1–28. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0261444825100876
Poudel, P. P. (2024). Decolonization of English language assessment for equitable learning: Teachers’ agency perspective. Journal of Nepalese Studies, 16(1), 140–152. https://doi.org/10.3126/jns.v16i1.71787
Prayitno, H., Cahyo, D. H., Rasinus, R., Lismina, L., & Rosita, R. (2024). Culturally relevant pedagogy: Promoting inclusivity and equity in the classroom. Global international journal of innovative research, 2(3), 728–735. https://doi.org/10.59613/global.v2i3.118
Quevedo-Camargo, G., & Pinheiro, L. A. (2021). Ethics in additional language assessment: from the teacher’s attitude to the assessment instrument [Translated version]. Estudos em Avaliação Educacional, 32, e08641. https://doi.org/10.18222/eae.v32.8641
Rasooli, A. H., & DeLuca, C. (2024). A critical review of fairness from multiple perspectives: Implications for classroom assessment theory. Applied Measurement in Education, 37(2), 148–164. https://doi.org/10.1080/08957347.2024.2345594
Rodríguez, J. R. P. (2004). Ethical aspects of assessment: the impact of evaluative activities and the deontological codes of examiners [Translated version]. Carabela, 55, 31–43. https://cvc.cervantes.es/ensenanza/biblioteca_ele/carabela/pdf/55/55_031.pdf
Rosheim, K. M., Tamte, K. G., & Froemming, M. J. (2024). Reducing inequalities inherent in literacy assessment of multilingual learners. Reading Psychology, 45(8), 735–751. https://doi.org/10.1080/02702711.2024.2359922
Saragih, E. (2024). EFL lecturers’ practice, perception, and evaluation of English as the medium of instruction in tertiary education. Issues in language studies, 13(1), 93-111. https://doi.org/10.33736/ils.5789.2024
Ulviani, M. (2025). Culturally Responsive Approaches to Indonesian Language Instruction: Insights for Inclusive Education. Research Square. https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7526656/v1
Walker, M. E., Olivera-Aguilar, M., Lehman, B., Laitusis, C., Guzman-Orth, D., & Gholson, M. (2023). Culturally responsive assessment: Provisional principles (Research Report No. RR-23-11). ETS. https://doi.org/10.1002/ets2.12374
Wang, J. (2024). Ethics and context in second language testing: rethinking validity in theory and practice. M. Rafael Salaberry, Albert Weideman, and Wei-Li Hsu (2023). New York, Routledge, 248 Pages, ISBN 9781032471754. Porta Linguarum, 42, 359–362. https://doi.org/10.30827/portalin.vi42.30001
Wibowo, E. P., Lestari, A., Adrian, M., Firdausiyah, K. S., Islamiy, J. H., Putri, R. D., Kemal, T., & Kurniawan, E. (2024). Exploring the Ethical Dimensions of Testing and Assessment: An Investigation into Grade Inflation Among EFL Teachers. OKARA: Jurnal Bahasa Dan Sastra, 18(1), 71–97. https://doi.org/10.19105/ojbs.v18i1.12676
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 JET (Journal of English Teaching)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Copyrights for articles published in JET are retained by the authors, with first publication rights granted to the journal. The journal/publisher is not responsible for subsequent uses of the work. It is the author's responsibility to bring an infringement action if so desired by the author.
