Accuracy of self-evaluation in a peer-learning environment: an analysis of a group learning model

Nasir Aminu,Mohammed Hamdan,Christopher Russell

doi:10.1007/s43545-021-00152-3

Nasir Aminu, Mohammed Hamdan + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1007/s43545-021-00152-3

Copy DOI

Abstract

There is a global competitive demand for graduates with soft skills, and higher education institutions are tasked to reduce the employee skill gap. Thus, we investigated the students' perceptions of peer assessment in facilitating engagement in soft-skill development through group work activities. Using group work to measure the effectiveness of students' feedback on their assessment, we posit that students perceive self-assessment in group work as a tool that represents fairness. By focusing on learning in a peer-assisted learning environment, the study is a two-period different observation on the effectiveness and validity of peer assessment practice. We applied a group learning model over two academic sessions to investigate if students can self-evaluate accurately in a peer-learning environment. The employed methods included both qualitative and quantitative analysis. The findings of the study differ from previous findings that students cannot self-assess accurately. Empirically, there was no significant difference between the peer marks and tutor marks. The study also found that peer learning improves students' quality of assessment as they reflect on their work better.

Highlights

In learning, students adopt different approaches based on their prior experiences and the environments they find themselves
Our study focuses on group work, student perception on peer assessment, measuring accuracy of self-assessment, and effective feedback to contribute to the literature
An action is taken in the second cohort by taking an online poll to ask students whether they support peer assessment or not

Summary

Introduction

Students adopt different approaches based on their prior experiences and the environments they find themselves. Investigating students’ way of adoption to learning can lead to inconsistent and unclear outcomes. Students’ learning experience is a function of their present learning environment as well as their prior. Modern teaching methods follow a student-centred approach, a philosophy that has gained prominence in UK higher education. The idea of active learning, based on constructivism, is one aspect of the student-centred approach adopted for teaching. Teachers are concerned about how students learn instead of what they learn. The literature on active learning in higher education is limited (Godoy et al 2015). Our study focuses on group work, student perception on peer assessment, measuring accuracy of self-assessment, and effective feedback to contribute to the literature

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion