Self-, Peer-, and Teacher-Assessments in Writing Improvement: A Study of Complexity, Accuracy, and Fluency

Abstract

Alternative assessment approaches and, among them, self-assessment and peer-assessment are becoming increasingly important in educational contexts. Designed to compare self-assessment, peer-assessment, and teacher-assessment, this study included 90 EFL students from 3 intact classes divided into 3 groups: self-assessment, peer-assessment, and teacher-assessment. After taking the TOEFL Proficiency Test (2004) and a writing pretest asking the participants to write a 150-word paragraph, the participants were trained upon the writing complexity, accuracy, and fluency (CAF) scale of Wolfe-Quintero et al. (1998). Before sitting the 2 posttests requiring the participants to write a 150-word paragraph, the self-assessment and peer-assessment groups assessed their own and peers' writings, respectively, whereas the third group had their teacher assess their writings. Results of one-way ANOVA demonstrated that teacher-assessment was not as effective as self-assessment and peer-assessment in terms of enhancing their writing proficiency. Results have important implications for educational organizations and curriculum designers who look for the most appropriate methods of teaching and testing.