No evidence found that particular student groups are disadvantaged in oral versus written assessments¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · review r2 · q2
Currency · newest study 2025 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? Research found no evidence of particular student groups being disadvantaged in oral assessments compared to written ones, concluding oral assessments may be more inclusive because they can accommodate students with different learning needs such as dyslexia. → Fenton 2025

Evidence¶

Fenton 2025¶

Fenton, A. (2025). Reconsidering the Use of Oral Exams and Assessments: An Old Way to Move Into a New Future. Educational Researcher, 54(7), 430-436. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X251333638

q2 · i? · review · r2

The review reports, citing Huxham et al. (2012), a comparison of subgroup disadvantage across oral and written assessments finding no evidence of disadvantage for particular groups. The review attributes the inclusivity conclusion to the cited study; no effect size is printed.

"research by Huxham et al. (2012) found no evidence of particular student groups being disadvantaged in oral assessments compared to written ones, concluding oral assessments to be more inclusive than written exams because they can accommodate students with different learning needs, such as those with dyslexia."

Discussion¶

Learner Variables¶

• Learning Disabilities and Developmental Differences — moderator: an instructional effect differs with it

Related Claims¶

• Oral assessments can induce more anxiety than written ones, yet many students still prefer them — related
• Common language teaching methods such as oral drills, memorization, and fast-paced competitive activities disadvantage older learners — related
• Students performed better on oral measures than written measures in comparison studies — related
• Moving oral assessments online reduced required support staff hours from almost 8 days to 3 days