JOURNAL OF HIGHER EDUCATION THEORY AND PRACTICE

Exam Fairness: The Effect of Blue Paper Versus White

Paper on Student Performance

Author(s): James E. De Franceschi, Pierre L. Titard, Harold E. Davis

Citation: James E. De Franceschi, Pierre L. Titard, Harold E. Davis, (2011) "Exam Fairness: The Effect of Blue Paper Versus White Paper on Student Performance," Journal of Higher Education Theory and Practice, Vol.11, Iss. 1, pp. 32 - 39

Article Type: Research paper

Publisher: North American Business Press

Abstract:

There is literature suggesting that white paper is too harsh and a more soothing color might be better for

exams. Prior studies using various colors of paper for exams have failed to show any significant benefit

of using any one color over another. This paper examines the results of five exams administered to four

sections of managerial accounting students. Half the students received exams printed on white paper and

the other half received exams printed on blue paper. Contrary to conventional wisdom, preliminary t-tests

indicate that students receiving the white exam scored significantly higher than those receiving the blue

exam.