How effective are self- and peer assessment of oral presentation skills compared with teachers’ assessments?

Abstract

Assessment of oral presentation skills is an underexplored area. The study described here focuses on the agreement between professional assessment and self- and peer assessment of oral presentation skills and explores student perceptions about peer assessment. The study has the merit of paying attention to the inter-rater reliability of the teachers. Comparison of the teacher and peer assessment rubric scores points at a positive relationship, but also at critical differences. The lower intra-class correlation suggests that peers and teachers still interpret the criteria and indicators of the rubric in a different way. With regard to the comparison of self-assessment scores and teacher scores, we have to conclude that there are significant differences between these scores. Self-assessment scores are, for the most part, higher than the marks given by teachers. The results also reflect a very positive attitude of students towards peer assessment as a relevant source of external feedback.