Observed Quality of Formative Peer and Self-Assessment in Everyday Mathematics Teaching and its Effects on Student Performance

<p style="text-align: justify;">The positive effect of peer assessment and self-assessment strategies on learners' performance has been widely confirmed in experimental or quasi-experimental studies. However, whether peer and self-assessment within everyday mathematics teaching affect student learning and achievement, has rarely been studied. This study aimed to determine with what quality peer and self-assessment occur in everyday mathematics instruction and whether and which students benefit from it in terms of achievement and the learning process. Two lessons on division were video-recorded and rated to determine the quality of peer and self-assessment. Six hundred thirty-four students of fourth-grade primary school classes in German-speaking Switzerland participated in the study and completed a performance test on division. Multilevel analyses showed no general effect of the quality of peer or self-assessment on performance. However, high-quality self-assessment was beneficial for lower-performing students, who used a larger repertoire of calculation strategies, which helped them perform better. In conclusion, peer and self-assessment in real-life settings only have a small effect on the student performance in this Swiss study.</p>

A combination of transformative and authentic assessment through ICT in Physical Education (Combinando una evaluación auténtica y transformativa a través de las TIC en Educación Física)

This work analyses the results of an authentic assessment (AA) and transformative assessment (TA) experience and use of information and communication technology (ICT) in Physical Education (PE) classes in high school. The experience involves the use of the Plickers application, and the participation of the students in the evaluation (self-evaluation and peer evaluation processes). This study was carried out in a high school from Spain, as part of a didactic dance unit, with 38 students (15th years old). The AA and TA task was for small groups of students to create a video tutorial of salsa steps as a final product of a dance teaching unit; were self-assessed and peer-assessed using Plickers. Experience was also evaluated. Results: the use of AA and TA processes in PE in high school based on the use of ICT has been a very positive experience. For the students the video tutorial is a good method of learning and assessment and they value positively the peer-assessment and self-assessment processes they carried out, as well as the use of the Plickers. This study can be interesting to PE teachers interested in using AA, TA and ICT. Further research about this topic may be need. Resumen. Este trabajo analiza los resultados de una experiencia de evaluación auténtica (EA) y evaluación transformativa (ET) que utiliza las Tecnologías de la Información y la Comunicación (TIC) en Educación Física (EF) en Educación Secundaria. La experiencia implica la utilización de la aplicación “Plickers” y la participación del alumnado en la evaluación (procesos de autoevaluación y de evaluación entre iguales). El estudio se desarrolla en un instituto de educación secundaria español, como parte de una unidad didácica de danza, con 38 alumnos de 15 años. Las actividades de EA y ET se realizaron en pequeños grupos, que crearon un video-tutorial de pasos de salsa como producto final de la unidad didáctica, el cual fue autoevaluado y coevaluado utilizando la aplicación “Plickers”. Se evaluó también toda la experiencia. Los resultados muestran que la utilización de procesos de EA y ET a través de las TIC en EF en secundaria ha sido una experiencia muy positiva. Los alumnos lo consideran un buen método de aprendizaje y evaluación y valoran positivamente los procesos de evaluación entre iguales y autoevaluación utilizados, así como el uso de “Plickers”. El estudio puede ser de interés para el profesorado de EF interesado en utilizar EA, ET y TIC. Parece necesario realizar más investigación sobre la temática.

From Critique to Computational Thinking: A Peer-Assessment-Supported Problem Identification, Flow Definition, Coding, and Testing Approach for Computer Programming Instruction

Scholars believe that computational thinking is one of the essential competencies of the 21st century and computer programming courses have been recognized as a potential means of fostering students’ computational thinking. In tradition instruction, PFCT (problem identification, flow definition, coding, and testing) is a commonly adopted procedure to guide students to learn and practice computer programming. However, without further guidance, students might focus on learning the syntax of computer programming language rather than the concept of solving problems. This study proposes a peer-assessment-supported PFCT (PA-PFCT) approach for boosting students’ computer programming knowledge and computational thinking awareness. A quasi-experiment was conducted on a computer programming course in a high school to evaluate its influence on students’ learning achievement, computational thinking awareness, learning motivation, and self-efficacy. An experimental group of 51 students learned with the proposed approach, while a control group of 49 students learned with the traditional PFCT (T-PFCT) approach. The experimental results show that the proposed approach significantly enhanced the students’ computational thinking awareness, learning motivation, and self-efficacy, while not having significant impacts on their computer programming knowledge test scores.

Impact of Formative Assessment Practices on Student Motivation for Learning the English Language

This study aimed at exploring the impact of formative assessment practices on student motivation for learning the English language. As Leahy, Lyon, Thompson, and Wiliam (2005) stated, education needs to change its function from collecting the results of right or wrong, and to encourage teachers in gathering information that will affect the educational decisions. This study is a non-experimental, correlational study, to describe the relationship between formative assessment practices and motivation for leaning. The instrument used was a questionnaire on high school students from public and private schools, who were selected randomly by stratified sampling. They belonged to three major high schools of Durres, Albania. The findings of this study showed that factors like strategic questions used by the teacher during formative assessment, student’s portfolio, self-assessment, and peer assessment affected positively the motivation for learning the English language. The results of the regression equation revealed that from four independent variables, the factor that had the greatest impact on motivation for learning were strategic questions used by the teacher during formative assessment, followed by self-assessment, peer assessment and student’s portfolio. This study identified ways of intervention to promote motivation for learning the English language. The study will contribute in the Albanian context showing how assessment practices made an impact on student motivation. It will help educational institutions and policy makers, foreign language teachers in improving the assessment practices to promote student motivation in learning the English language.

Can Peer Assessment Impact Self-efficacy During Small-Group Learning?

Introduction: While studies report positive correlations between students’ perceptions of the learning environment and their reported self-efficacy, the role of peer assessment is poorly understood in this context. This study examines the process and impact of peer assessment on self-efficacy and perceptions of the learning environment during a small-group discussion-based course required of first-year medical students. Methods: After spending time in small-group learning, students completed three peer assessments and reviewed three assessments of themselves. Analysis of the peer assessments included thematic coding of comments and word counts. Prior to and following the assessment period, students completed a survey including the Generalized Self-efficacy (GSE) Scale, and six locally-developed questions regarding the learning environment and perceptions of peer assessment. We performed paired-sample t tests to determine whether there were differences between the pre- and post-peer assessment surveys. The SUNY Upstate Institutional Review Board reviewed the study and determined it to be exempt. Results: Peer assessment narratives referred most commonly to students’ participation style and the need for greater participation. Word counts ranged widely. A paired sample t test indicated that the difference between pre and post peer assessment GSE scores was significant (P=.009), but the effect size was small (d=0.32). Perceptions of the learning environment did not change after the peer assessments. Conclusion: Peer assessment offers a potential strategy for enhancing self-efficacy in medical school small-group learning environments and requires few resources to implement, relative to the potential benefits.

Nurturing Student Writing Knowledge, Self-Regulation, and Attitudes in Higher Education

Self-assessment (SA) is regarded as a prestigious method of formative assessment in higher education. The present study explored the use of SA as an inclusive practice aiming to help students improve their writing performance, self-regulation, and attitudes. Forty-four undergraduate students attended an academic writing module for one semester. Students had all used peer assessment (PA) during the previous semester and were then asked to use SA. The lecturer provided training, mentoring, and coaching throughout the implementation taking into consideration students' individual learning needs. Students' pre-test and post-test scores showed that SA improved undergraduate students' writing performance more than PA. The findings from students' pre- and post-implementation survey revealed that SA had a strong impact on students' self-regulation. Considering the findings from the students' focus group discussions final essays and self-reflective journals, SA was challenging but developed students' autonomy, critical thinking, and sense of personal accountability significantly.