The effects of using peer, self and teacher-assessment on Iranian EFL learners' writing ability at three levels of task complexity

Abstract

In the present study, the effects of using peer-, self-, and teacher-assessment on nurturing students’ accuracy in writing skill were analyzed and furthermore, the researchers intended to perform the study at three levels of task complexity (simple, medium and complex), to find out whether being engaged in more complex tasks will help students improve accuracy in writing. This study was performed based on a framework for task design proposed by Robinson (2001, 2003, 2005, & 2007). To fulfill the purpose of this study, 81 (48 female and 33 male) upper-intermediate EFL learners of Iranmehr language institutes were chosen among a total number of 117 by means of a Nelson English Language Proficiency Test as the homogeneity test. Afterwards they were divided into three groups of Teacher Assessment (control group), Peer- and Self- Assessment (as experimental groups). After a pre-test, the students were exposed to some training for writing at three different levels of task complexity. Each student was assessed based on the group s/he was placed in using a rating scale in peer, and self-assessment groups. Then the post-test was administered and the gathered data was analyzed. The results indicated that although all three methods of assessment led to the students’ progress, however, Self-Assessment method was the most effective method and Teacher and Peer were the second and third respectively. Furthermore, although a rise in the complexity level led to increment in results consistently, the increment in the second level was much higher than the third one which was contributable to less concentration in the third level.