Self-assessment and Peer-assessment in EFL Context: An Investigation of Writing Performance and Writing Self-efficacy

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Assistant Professor in Applied Linguistics, University of Kurdistan, Sanandaj, Iran

2 Ph.D. Candidate in TEFL, Islamic Azad University, Karaj Branch, Iran

3 Ph.D. Candidate in TEFL, Islamic Azad University, Science and Research Branch, Iran

10.34785/J014.2021.172

Abstract

The significance of alternative assessment in second language (L2) has been widely acknowledged in the literature. However, the implementation of alternative assessment in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) context has not been much welcome by L2 educators and practitioners.  To contribute to this line of inquiry, the aim of the present research was set to explore the impact of implementing self-assessment and peer-assessment practices on writing performance and writing self-efficacy of EFL learners in Iran. To this end, a total number of 36 homogeneous intermediate learners were selected as the participants who were then randomly assigned to a self-assessment group (N= 17) and a peer-assessment group (N= 19). As for the treatment of the present study, the participants of the self-assessment group were taught to self-assess their writing tasks, whereas the participants of the peer-assessment group were taught to assess the writings of their peers.  Two timed-writing essays and the Writing Self-Efficacy Scale (WSES) wereadministered to collect the data. The results obtained from performing paired-samples t-tests and ANCOVA indicated that both self- and peer-assessment activities significantly contributed to improving writing performance and writing self-efficacy of the participants. Nevertheless, it was revealed that the participants of the peer-assessment group performed better than those in the self-assessment group in terms of both writing performance and writing self-efficacy, showing that peer-assessment activities were more effective than self-assessment activities in increasing writing competencies and self-efficacy of the participants. The findings of the study offer theoretical and pedagogical implications for L2 researchers and practitioners.

Keywords


Andrade, H., and Valtcheva, A. “Promoting Learning and Achievement through Self-Assessment.” Theory into Practice, Vol. 48, No. 1, 2009, pp. 12-19.  
Ahmed, A., and Troudi, S. “Exploring EFL Writing Assessment in an Egyptian University Context: Teachers and Students’ Perspectives.” Journal of Language Teaching and Research, Vol. 9, No. 6, 2018, pp. 1229-1242.
Babaii, E., and Adeh, A. “One, Two,..., Many: The Outcomes of Paired Peer Assessment, Group Peer Assessment, and Teacher Assessment in EFL Writing.” Journal of Asia TEFL, Vol. 16, No. 1, 2019, pp. 53-66.
Babaii, E., Taghaddomi, S., and Pashmforoosh, R. “Speaking Self-Assessment: Mismatches Between Learners’ and Teachers’ Criteria.” Language Testing, Vol. 33, No. 3, 2016, pp. 411-437.
Bailey, K. M. Learning about Language Assessment: Dilemmas, Decisions, and Directions. Boston: Heinle and Heinle, 1998.
Baker, K. M. “Peer Review as a Strategy for Improving Students’ Writing Process.” Active Learning in Higher Education, Vol. 17, No. 3, 2016, pp. 179-192.
Bandura, A. “The Explanatory and Predictive Scope of Self-Efficacy Theory.” Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, Vol. 4, No. 3, 1986, pp. 359-373.
Birjandi, P., and Hadidi Tamjid, N. “The Role of Self-, Peer and Teacher Assessment in Promoting Iranian EFL Learners’ Writing Performance.” Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education, Vol. 37, No. 5, 2012, pp. 513-533.
Boud, D. “The Role of Self‐assessment in Student Grading.” Assessment in Higher Education, Vol. 14, No. 1, 1989, p. 20-30.
Boud, D., and Falchikov, N. “Redesigning Assessment for Learning beyond Higher Education.” Research and development in higher education, Vol. 28, No. SI, 2005, pp. 34-41.
Brown, J. D., and Hudson, T. “The Alternatives in Language Assessment.” TESOL Quarterly, Vol. 32, No. 4, 1998, pp. 653-675.
Butler, Y. G. “The Role of Context in Young Learners' Processes for Responding to Self-Assessment Items.” The Modern Language Journal, Vol. 102, No. 1, 2018, 242-261.
Cao, Z., Yu, S., and Huang, J. “A Qualitative Inquiry into Undergraduates’ Learning from Giving and Receiving Peer Feedback in L2 Writing: Insights from a Case Study.” Studies in Educational Evaluation, Vol. 63, 2019, pp. 102-112.
Cheng, X. “Asian Students' Reticence Revisited.” System, Vol. 28, No. 3, 2000, pp. 435-446.
Cheng, Y. S. “A Measure of Second Language Writing Anxiety: Scale Development and Preliminary Validation.” Journal of Second Language Writing, Vol. 13, No. 4, 2004, pp. 313-335.
Colby-Kelly, C., and Turner, C. E. “AFL research in the L2 classroom and evidence of usefulness: Taking formative assessment to the next level.” Canadian Modern Language Review, Vol. 64, No. 1, 2007, pp. 9-37.
Esol, C. Cambridge BEC Preliminary: Official Examination Papers from University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2009.
Fathi, J., Ahmadnejad, M., and Yousofi, N. “Effects of Blog-Mediated Writing Instruction on L2 Writing Motivation, Self-Efficacy, and Self-Regulation: A Mixed Methods Study.” Research in Applied Linguistics, Vol. 10, No. 2, 2019, pp. 159-181.
Fathi, J., Derakhshan, A., and Safdari, M. “The Impact of Portfolio-Based Writing Instruction on Writing Performance and Anxiety of EFL Students.” Polish Psychological Bulletin, Vol. 51, No. 3, 2020, pp. 226-235.
Fathi, J., and Khodabakhsh, M. R. “The Role of Self-Assessment and Peer-Assessment in Improving Writing Performance of Iranian EFL Students.” International Journal of English Language and Translation Studies, Vol. 7, No. 3. 2019, pp. 1-10.
Fathi, J., and Shirazizadeh, M. “Fostering Self-Regulated Learning of Iranian EFL Students: an Investigation of The Effect of Self and Peer Assessment in L2 Writing.” Foreign Language Research Journal, Vol. 9, No. 1, 2019, pp. 123-146.
Gao, Y., Schunn, C. D. D., and Yu, Q. “The Alignment of Written Peer Feedback with Draft Problems and Its Impact on Revision in Peer Assessment.” Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education, Vol. 44, No. 2, 2019, pp. 294-308.
Gipps, C. V. Beyond Testing: Towards a Theory of EducationalAssessment. London: The Falmer Press, 1994.
Hamp-Lyons, L. “Principles for Large-Scale Classroom-Based Teacher Assessment of English Learners’ Language: An initial Framework from School-Based Assessment in Hong Kong.” TESOL Quarterly, Vol. 43, No. 3, 2009, pp. 524-529.
Hughes, I. E., and Large, B. J. “Staff and Peer-Group Assessment of Oral Communication Skills.” Studies in Higher Education, Vol. 18, No. 3, 1993, pp. 379-385.
Hyland, F. “ESL Writers and Feedback: Giving More Autonomy to Students.” Language Teaching Research, Vol. 4, No. 1, 2000, pp. 33-54.
Hyland, K., and Hyland, F. (eds.). Feedback in Second Language Writing: Contexts and Issues. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2019.
Iraji, H. R., Enayat, M. J., and Momeni, M. “The Effects of Self-And Peer-Assessment on Iranian EFL Learners' Argumentative Writing Performance.” Theory and Practice in Language Studies, Vol. 6, No. 4, 2016, pp. 716-722.
Jacobs, H. L., et al. Testing ESL composition. Rowley, MA: Newbury House, 1981.
Jensen, W., and Fischer, B. “Teaching Technical Writing Through Student Peer-Evaluation.” Journal of Technical Writing and Communication, Vol. 35, No. 1, 2005, pp. 95-100.
Lantolf, J. P., and Aljaafreh, A. “Second Language Learning in the Zone of Proximal Development: A Revolutionary Experience.” International Journal of Educational Research, Vol. 23, No. 7, 1995, pp. 619-632.
Lee, I. “Putting Students at the Centre of Classroom L2 Writing Assessment.” Canadian Modern Language Review, Vol. 72, No. 2, 2016, pp. 258-280.
Lin, C. J. “An Online Peer Assessment Approach to Supporting Mind-Mapping Flipped Learning Activities for College English Writing Courses.” Journal of Computers in Education, Vol. 6, 2019, pp. 1-31.
Little, D. “Language Learner Autonomy: Some Fundamental Considerations Revisited.” International Journal of Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching, Vol. 1, No. 1, 2007, 14-29.
---. Language learner autonomy and the European language portfolio: Two L2 English examples. Language Teaching: Surveys and Studies, Vol. 42, No. 2, 2009, pp. 222-233.
Liu, H., and Brantmeier, C. “I know English”: Self-assessment of Foreign Language Reading and Writing Abilities among Young Chinese Learners of English.” System, Vol. 80, 2019, pp. 60-72.
Lundstrom, K., and Baker, W. “To Give Is Better Than to Receive: The Benefits of Peer Review to the Reviewer's Own Writing.” Journal of Second Language Writing, Vol. 18, No. 1, 2009, pp. 30-43.
Naghdipour, B. “English Writing Instruction in Iran: Implications for Second Language Writing Curriculum and Pedagogy.” Journal of Second Language Writing, Vol. 32, 2016, pp. 81-87.
Nelson, G., and Carson, J. “Cultural Issues in Peer Response: Revisiting Culture.” In Feedback in Second Language Writing: Contexts and Issues, K. Hyland & F. Hyland (Authors), Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006, pp. 42-59.
Nelson, G. L., and Murphy, J. M. “Peer Response Groups: Do L2 Writers Use Peer Comments In Revising Their Drafts?” TESOL Quarterly, Vol. 27, No. 1, 1993, pp. 135-141.
Orsmond, P., Merry, S., and Reiling, K. “The Use of Student Derived Marking Criteria in Peer and Self-Assessment.” Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education, Vol. 25, No. 1, 2000, pp. 23-38.
Oscarson, M. “Self-Assessment of Language Proficiency: Rationale and Implications.”  Language Testing, Vol. 6, No. 1, 1989, pp. 1-13.
Pope, N. K. L. “The impact of stress in self-assessment.” Studies in Higher Education, Vol. 30, No. 1, 2005, pp. 51-63.
Porte, G., and Richards, K. “Focus Article: Replication in Second Language Writing Research.” Journal of Second Language Writing, Vol. 21, No. 3, 2012, pp. 284-293.
Rea‐Dickins, P. “Classroom‐Based Language Assessment.” In Encyclopedia of Language and Education, 2008, pp. 2391-2405.
Reinholz, D. “The Assessment Cycle: A Model for Learning through Peer Assessment.” Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education, Vol. 41, No. 2, 2016, pp. 301-315.
Rivers, W. P. (2001). Autonomy at all costs: An ethnography of metacognitive self‐assessment and self‐management among experienced language learners. The modern language journal, 85(2), 279-290.
Ruegg, R. “The Effect of Peer and Teacher Feedback on Changes in EFL Students’ Writing Self-Efficacy.” The Language Learning Journal, Vol. 46, No. 2, 2014, pp. 1-18.
---. “The Relative Effects of Peer and Teacher Feedback on Improvement in EFL Students’ Writing Ability.” Linguistics and Education, Vol. 29, 2015, pp. 73-82.
Sambell, K., McDowell, L., and Montgomery, C. Assessment for Learning in Higher Education. London: Routledge, 2012.
Shepard, L. A. “The Role of Assessment in a Learning Culture.” Educational Researcher, Vol. 29, No. 7, 2000, pp. 4-14.
Sullivan, K., and Lindgren, E. “Self‐assessment in Autonomous Computer‐Aided Second Language Writing.” ELT Journal, Vol. 56, No. 3, 2002, pp. 258-266.
Suzuki, M. “The Compatibility of L2 Learners' Assessment of Self-And Peer Revisions of Writing with Teachers' Assessment.” TESOL Quarterly, Vol. 43, No. 1, 2009, pp. 137-148.
Topping, K. “Peer Assessment between Students in Colleges and Universities.” Review of Educational Research, Vol. 68, No. 3, 1998, pp. 249-276.
---. “Self and peer assessment in school and university: Reliability, validity and utility.” In Optimising New Modes of Assessment: In Search of Qualities and Standards. Berlin: Springer, 2003, pp. 55-87.
---. “Peer Assessment.” Theory into Practice, Vol. 48, Vol. 1, 2009, pp. 20-27.
---. “Peers as a Source of Formative and Summative Assessment.” In SAGE Handbook of Research on Classroom Assessment. California: Sage Publications, 2013, pp. 395-412.
---. “Peer Assessment: Learning by Judging and Discussing the Work of Other Learners.” Interdisciplinary Education and Psychology, Vol. 1, No. 1, 2017, pp. 1-17.
Yu, S., and Lee, I. “Exploring Chinese Students' Strategy Use in a Cooperative Peer Feedback Writing Group.” System, Vol. 58, 2016, pp. 1-11.
Zarei, A. A., and Usefli, Z. “The Effect of Assessment Type on EFL Learners’ Goal-Orientation.” Journal of Language, Linguistics and Literature, Vol. 1, No. 4, 2015, pp. 112-119.
Zhang, Z. V., and Hyland, K. “Student Engagement with Teacher and Automated Feedback on L2 Writing.” Assessing Writing, Vol. 36, 2018, pp. 90-102.
Zhao, H. “Investigating Learners’ Use and Understanding of Peer and Teacher Feedback on Writing: A Comparative Study in a Chinese English Writing Classroom.” Assessing Writing, Vol. 15, No. 1, 2010, pp. 3-17.
---. “Investigating Teacher-Supported Peer Assessment for EFL Writing.” ELT Journal, Vol. 68, No. 2, 2014, pp. 155-168.
---. “New Insights into the Process of Peer Review for EFL Writing: A Process-Oriented Socio-Cultural Perspective.” Learning and Instruction, Vol. 58, 2018, pp. 263-273.