Progress by Pieces - eNews from PbyP

Monday, December 29, 2008

Peer assessment is good for you.

A just published comprehensive review of studies of the use of peer and self-assessment in secondary schools concludes it enhances academic attainment and self-esteem.

Peer and self-assessment have been increasing in use in secondary schools over the last two decades in countries across the world. Methods and techniques have become more methodical and rigorous meaning peer assessment can be and has been used alongside teacher assessment as part of formal recording and formative assessment. Many academic studies of peer assessment have focused on the comparison between teacher and peer or self-assessment. The assumption is often that teacher assessment is accurate so the closer the match between this and peer assessment the greater the validity and credibility. This thinking clearly still places the peer/self assessment as the secondary assessment.

Now a new piece of research may make interesting reading for those still unconvinced of the educational value of peer and self-assessment as well as for those who have been remained convinced of the benefits from their own school or practice.

The new study from the Institute of Education, University of London, focuses on the impact of the use of peer and self assessment in the secondary school on student attainment and non-cognitive outcomes. The study is a systematic and wide-ranging review of 26 studies of the use of peer or self assessment published between 1980 and 2005, with the majority between 1996 and 2005. The studies were from many countries including the US, Canada, UK, Finland, Latvia, Australia, Barbados and South Africa.

The review researched the impact of peer and self assessment into three areas, Pupil Attainment, Self-Esteem and Learning to Learn and the key finding was that peer and self assessment had a positive impact in all three areas.

In pupil attainment 9/15 studies reviewed found a positive impact on pupil attainment . Classes where learners were involved in deciding the assessment criteria had the most success. The writers describe the need for teachers and learners to work together, "co-designing the criteria for evaluation".

7/10 studies reviewed found a positive impact on self-esteem of students from using peer and self-assessment and 17/20 studies which researched impact of peer assessment on Learning to Learn skills found a positive impact. The most successful use of peer and self-assessment was where it was part of a climate of giving students responsibility for their own learning, "the more learners know about and participate in decisions around the goals of their own learning, the more they can direct their own learning efforts effectively."

Reviewing all 26 studies the review concludes that successful peer assessment relies on a new type of relationship between teachers and students:"to move from a dependent to an interdependent relationship between teacher and student."

The report argues the implication for future policy and practice is clearly that teachers and students need training in the classroom climate and relationships needed to reap the benefits of peer assessment. Teachers "need to be committed to learners having control over the process" to create the effective climate. Self and peer assessment skills need to be built into both Initial Teacher Training and Continuing Professional Development to make peer assessment as successful and significant as the review indicates it can be.

The review concluded that the success of the use of peer assessment was across subject areas and there was no significant differences of impact with regards to social class, ethnicity and gender.

The full details of the report : Click here.