Involving self-, peer-, and teacher-assessment in a writing course: A cross comparison and reflection of students’ perceptions

Abstract

The increasing demand for lifelong learners and reflective practitioners has re-‎conceptualized the ‎connection between assessment and learning to the extent ‎that alternative assessment methods (i.e., self-, ‎peer and teacher-assessment, etc.) ‎have emerged. However, their incorporation into various language ‎skills might ‎bring about certain consequences. Among them, the writing skill is often ‎perceived as unique in ‎its nature in terms of both teaching practices and ‎assessment modalities. In a bid to exercise a Learner-‎Oriented Assessment ‎‎(LOA) practice, the present study was designed to comparatively implement ‎self-, ‎peer-, and teacher-assessments in a writing course, and explore the ‎experiences and perceptions of the ‎learners towards the three assessment ‎alternatives. Pertinent statistical analyses revealed significant ‎differences among ‎them such that higher proficiency level learners evaluated their writings more ‎‎realistically, while lower proficiency level over estimated their abilities. ‎Moreover, most of them had ‎positive attitudes towards this novel assessment ‎experience, holding that LOA could scaffold them in ‎gaining a lot and arousing ‎their awareness of their weaknesses and strengths.‎