The Relationship between the Accuracy of Self- and Peer-assessment of Iranian Intermediate EFL Learners and Their Learning Styles

Abstract

Within the last few decades, with the growing emphasis on learner-centered curriculum, self-assessment and peer-assessment have become of particular interest in educational assessment. This study aimed at examining the relationship between the accuracy of self- and peer-assessment on the paragraph writing performance of a sample of Iranian intermediate EFL students and their learning styles. To do so, 7 paragraphs during 7 sessions were written and then self- and peer-rated by 62 students from Touba Language Institute in Tehran. Kolb’s learning style inventory was used to determine the students’ learning styles including diverging, assimilating, converging, and accommodating. The results revealed a significant and positive relationship between the accuracy of self- and peer-assessment of the students and their learning styles. The findings indicated that the students with converging learning style were the most accurate raters of their own performance, while those with diverging style were the least accurate ones. Furthermore, the students with accommodating learning style were the most accurate raters of peer-performance, whereas those with assimilating style were the least accurate ones. The obtained results may offer EFL teachers and educators the opportunity to design alternative assessment methods addressing learners’ individual differences including learning styles.