Peer assessment

Peer assessment is an educational activity in which students judge the performance of their peers and it can take different forms depending on the characteristics of its implementation, the learners and the learning context. Peer assessment can take different forms ranging from summative purposes (e.g., peer grading, peer evaluation) to formative purposes (e.g., peer feedback). Importantly, a significant effort has been performed by scholars in exploring the different characteristics of peer assessment, usually called taxonomies or constellations. The first one by Topping (1998) already included seventeen characteristics, number that has been increased and rearranged by later publications. Peer assessment has been shown to have positive effects on achievement, and though it has been claimed it could increase self-regulation the empirical evidence supporting this claim is missing at the moment. An important line of research is currently focusing on what are the interpersonal effects of peer assessment, with the latest and more comprehensive review showing that formative approaches might be more beneficial, decreasing negative interpersonal and motivational effects. Peer assessment is an educational activity in which students judge the performance of their peers and it can take different forms depending on the characteristics of its implementation, the learners and the learning context. Peer assessment can take different forms ranging from summative purposes (e.g., peer grading, peer evaluation) to formative purposes (e.g., peer feedback). Importantly, a significant effort has been performed by scholars in exploring the different characteristics of peer assessment, usually called taxonomies or constellations. The first one by Topping (1998) already included seventeen characteristics, number that has been increased and rearranged by later publications. Peer assessment has been shown to have positive effects on achievement, and though it has been claimed it could increase self-regulation the empirical evidence supporting this claim is missing at the moment. An important line of research is currently focusing on what are the interpersonal effects of peer assessment, with the latest and more comprehensive review showing that formative approaches might be more beneficial, decreasing negative interpersonal and motivational effects. Though, for a long time it has been claimed that student grade assignments can save teacher's time, there is evidence showing this might not be the case. A large study with Spanish teachers shown that they do not feel they have to used less time because the implementation of peer assessment, especially if done with formative purposes, takes a considerable amount of teaching instructional help. Having students grade papers in class or assess their peers' oral presentations decreases the time taken for students to receive their feedback. Instead of them having to wait for feedback on their work, self- and peer-assessment allow assignments to be graded soon after completion. Students then don't have to wait until they have moved onto new material and the information is no longer fresh in their minds. The faster turnaround time of feedback has been also shown to increase the likelihood of adoption by the feedback recipient. A controlled experiment conducted in a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) setting found that students' final grades improved when feedback was delivered quickly, but not if delayed by 24 hours. Teacher's evaluation role makes the students focus more on the grades not seeking feedback. Students can learn from grading the papers or assessing the oral presentations of others. Often, teachers do not go over test answers and give students the chance to learn what they did wrong. Self and peer assessment allow teachers to help students understand the mistakes that they have made. This will improve subsequent work and allow students time to digest information and may lead to better understanding. A study by Sadler and Good found that students who self-graded their tests did better on later tests. The students could see what they had done wrong and were able correct such errors in later assignments. After peer grading, students did not necessarily achieve higher results. Through self- and peer-assessment students are able to see mistakes in their thinking and can correct any problems in future assignments. By grading assignments, students may learn how to complete assignments more accurately and how to improve their test results. Professors Lin-Agler, Moore, and Zabrucky conducted an experiment in which they found “that students are able to use their previous experience from preparing for and taking a test to help them build a link between their study time allocation.” Students can not only improve their ability to study for a test after participating in self- and peer- assessment but also enhance their ability to evaluate others through improved metacognitive thinking. If self- and peer-assessment are implemented, students can come to see tests not as punishments but as useful feedback. Hal Malehorn says that by using peer evaluation, classmates can work together for “common intellectual welfare” and that it can create a “cooperative atmosphere” for students instead of one where students compete for grades. In addition, when students assess the works of their fellow students, they also reflect on their own works. This reflective process stimulates action for improvement. However, in the Supreme Court Case Owasso Independent School District v. Falvo, the school was sued following victimization of an individual after other students learned that he had received a low test score. Malehorn attempts to show what the idealized version of peer-assessment can do for classroom attitude. In practice, situations where students are victimized can result as seen in the Supreme Court Case.