Project Investigator(s): Misuzu Kazama, Lecturer, Department of Asian Studies; Bosung Kim, Educational Consultant: Learning Design, CTLT
Project Description
Compared to its wide use in higher education, peer assessment has received less attention in language education, in particular as a viable means to involve learners in the evaluation process of speaking skills. While this idea is still novel to language education, a few studies suggest that peer assessment can be a viable alternative to the traditional teacher-oriented assessment and language learners can benefit from it (Forde, 1996; Miller & Ng, 1994; Peng, 2010). This project examines students’ attitudes towards peer assessment and compares teacher-orientated and peer-based assessment methods for language proficiency.
Research Questions
1. What are the students’ attitudes towards the peer assessment of oral interview test? —Does their perception change after the experiment, and how does it change?
2. Are the results of peer assessment different from the assessment done by teacher?—How are they different?
Impact on teaching and learning at UBC
The comparison of survey before and after the experiment will show the difference of students attitude and motivation towards conducting the students-based oral interview test and effectiveness of its peer assessment.
The comparison of interview evaluation forms completed by students and instructor will show how students evaluate themselves similar to the one done by instructor. If the students evaluation is similar to the instructor’s one, it proves that peer assessment at this level is feasible alternative method of assessment in the language class.
Achieved Outcomes
“Many studies have shown that the use of peer feedback in writing context scaffolds students’ understanding of the assignment and promotes autonomous learners in language classrooms, but studies of speaking context have been neglected because of the limitation of foreign language learners’ language proficiency. It is difficult for language instructors by themselves to verify the effectiveness of peer feedback using the video annotation system (Collaborative Learning Annotation System or CLAS), but it was made possible for me to use it effectively in my language class with a support of a research specialist from the SoTL Seed Grant. Engaging in the SoTL process has provided me with the opportunity to find out whether students, especially at an early intermediate level in a Japanese as foreign language classroom, are able to identify the area of improvement in a peer’s oral performance. Our finding suggest that students’ feedback on the use of language such as grammar, pronunciation, and intonation has a more than 90% degree of accuracy! We hope that more instructors will consider the potential benefits and positive implications of using this new teaching practice in their classroom and of engaging with SoTL.