How Do You Measure Up? Exploring students' perceptions of peer- and self- assessment

Abstract

Self-and-peer assessments have been shown to be effective in improving the writing skills of ESL learners. In this study, 87 pre-diploma students at Universiti Teknologi MARA Cawangan Pulau Pinang completed a self-and peer-assessment checklist for an essay writing assignment. A survey and a focused group discussion of 5 students found that they felt the checklist helped them to be critical, independent, confident, and better organized when writing essays. Although some students found the checklist challenging and time-consuming, most of them felt that the checklist is beneficial and enjoyable to use.