Student Self-Assessment Reassessed

Abstract

In a student-centered classroom, learners have to be actively involved both in learning and assessment, which in itself needs to become a learning tool. Therefore, students need to understand and be given the opportunity to apply assessment criteria themselves. Through self-assessment of their writing, they enhance their self-awareness and become autonomous learners capable of self-improvement and meta-cognition (Liang 2014, Nielsen 2012). Self-and peer assessment are helpful tools that have been discussed in the literature, but the reliability of self-assessment is still debated (see for example Birjandi and Tamjid 2012, Matsuno 2009, Poehner 2012). The present study adds to the existing research by offering data that is not based on observation, but stems from a comparison of self-and instructor assessment where both parties used the same specific assessment rubrics. Assigning numerical values to the rubrics allowed for quantitative results. The data was collected in four classes of students in a course called 'Introduction to Academic Writing' at Deree-The American College of Greece. The outcome of the study did not confirm expectations with regard to reliability of self-assessment, and recommendations for future rubric-based studies are included. Self-assessment should be used as a formative and diagnostic learning tool, especially for weaker students, to foster development of learner autonomy. While the usefulness of self-assessment is not disputed in the literature, ways to measure its effectiveness are still to be found. The aim of this paper is, then, to add to the existing research on self-assessment by offering quantitative results, which will help colleagues in the field of writing (as well as other subjects) to determine the reliability of rubric-based self-assessment and, if they plan to use it, help them decide what parameters to take into consideration.

A review of research on student self-assessment in second / foreign language writing

“…However, on the contrary, some research indicates the association of rubric use with improving the quality of students' writing quality. Baxa (2015), Ferry (2020), Ratminingsih, Marhaeni, and Vigayanti (2018), Weiss (2018), and Xu (2019) found that rubrics can define specific concepts clearly in respective aspect of learners' writing and influence the development of their writing by knowing the strength and weaknesses of their writing. In fact, recent research on rubrics in SA posits that assessment cannot be valid unless learners develop their understanding and awareness of the criteria against which their performance is likely to be evaluated.…”