Peer feedback

Abstract: The research on formative assessment and feedback is reinterpreted to show how these processes can help students take control of their own learning, i.e. become self-regulated learners. This reformulation is used to identify seven principles of good feedback practice that support self-regulation. A key argument is that students are already assessing their own work and generating their own feedback, and that higher education should build on this ability. The research underpinning each feedback principle is presented, and some examples of easy-to-implement feedback strategies are briefly described. This shift in focus, whereby students are seen as having a proactive rather than a reactive role in generating and using feedback, has profound implications for the way in which teachers organise assessments and support learning.

Abstract: A definition and typology of peer assessment between students in higher education is proposed, and the theoretical underpinnings of the method are discussed. A review of the developing literature follows, including both process and outcome studies. This indicates that peer assessment is of adequate reliability and validity in a wide variety of applications. Peer assessment of writing and peer assessment using marks, grades, and tests have shown positive formative effects on student achievement and attitudes. These effects are as good as or better than the effects of teacher assessment. Evidence for such effects from other types of peer assessment (of presentation skills, group work or projects, and professional skills) is, as yet, more limited. Computer-assisted peer assessment is an emerging growth area. Important factors in successful implementation are summarized, and recommendations for future research and practice are made.

Abstract: The literature on feedback to individuals was reviewed with respect to its effect on the behavior of individuals in performance-o riented organizations. Although contemporary views of individual behavior in organizations stress that feedback is necessary for effective role performance, little attention is given to the psychological processes affected by it. This review focuses upon the multidimensional nature of feedback as a stimulus and addresses the process by which feedback influences behavior. Emphasis is placed on those aspects of feedback that influence (a) the way it is perceived, (b) its acceptance by the recipient, and (c) the willingness of the recipient to respond to the feedback. Feedback about the effectiveness of an individual's behavior has long been recognized as essential for learning and for motivation in performance-oriented organizations. Not surprisingly, considerable research has been conducted on the subject (see reviews of feedback by Adams, 1968; Ammons, 19S6; Annett, 1969; Bilodeau, 1966; Locke, Cartledge, & Koeppel, 1968; Sassenrath, 1975). Yet, in spite of the large and varied literature, generalizations about the effects of feedback on individuals are few. Several factors contribute to this state of affairs. First, feedback is not a simple stimulus. The diverse elements subsumed under the single rubric of feedback may share the property of conveying some degree of information about past behavior, but they share We wish to thank L. L. Cummings, H. P. Dachler, E. A. Locke, M. M. Greller, D. M. Herold, and J. C. Naylor for their helpful comments on an earlier draft of this article. The research was supported by Grant DAHC 19-76-G-0017 from the Army Research Institute for the Behavioral Sciences, as part of the technical-base research project for the Organizational Development Unit. While the support of the agency is greatly appreciated, the ideas expressed in the article are solely those of the authors and are not to be considered the position of the agency or the U.S.

Abstract: Developments in forms of peer learning 1981–2006 are reviewed, focusing mainly on peer tutoring, cooperative learning, and peer assessment. Types and definitions of peer learning are explored, together with questions of implementation integrity and consequent effectiveness and cost‐effectiveness. Benefits to helpers are now emphasised at least as much as benefits to those helped. In this previously under‐theorised area, an integrated theoretical model of peer learning is now available. Peer learning has been extended in types and forms, in curriculum areas and in contexts of application beyond school. Engagement in helping now often encompasses all community members, including those with special needs. Social and emotional gains now attract as much interest as cognitive gains. Information technology is now often a major component in peer learning, operating in a variety of ways. Embedding and sustainability has improved, but further improvement is needed.