IKEA Effect in the Evaluation of Academic Assignments
Voprosy Obrazovaniya / Educational Studies Moscow, no.2, pp.233-250, 2026 (ESCI, Scopus)
- Publication Type: Article / Article
- Publication Date: 2026
- Doi Number: 10.17323/vo-2026-28767
- Journal Name: Voprosy Obrazovaniya / Educational Studies Moscow
- Journal Indexes: Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI), Scopus
- Page Numbers: pp.233-250
- Keywords: academic assignments, behavioral economics, final projects, IKEA effect
- Open Archive Collection: Digital Heritage Collection
- Azerbaijan State University of Economics (UNEC) Affiliated: Yes
Abstract
The IKEA effect refers to a cognitive bias whereby people tend to overvalue products or outcomes they have contributed effort to. This study examines how this bias manifests itself in academic settings, specifically in the evaluation of student assignments. The research consists of three studies: the first one analyzed 115 final projects and found that academic advisors consistently graded their own students' work higher than did external evaluators — on average, by about 5%. The second and third studies showed that students also tended to rate their own assignments more generously than their peers or instructors did. These findings point to a systematic bias in academic assessment that has implications not only for fairness but also for the long-term integrity of academic evaluation systems. By highlighting the role of subjective involvement in shaping evaluation outcomes, the study contributes to broader discussions about sustainability in education — particularly in the context of maintaining fair, transparent, and trust-based assessment practices.