Students’ reception of peer assessment of group-work contributions: problematics in terms of race and gender emerging from a South African case study

Abstract

Participatory assessment is increasingly employed in higher education worldwide as a formative mechanism to support students' active learning. But do students in an increasingly relationally diverse environment perceive that peer assessment of individuals' contribution to group-work tasks enhances their learning? Recognising the impact of students' conceptions on the quality of their learning, this study considers students' perspectives of peer assessment of group-work contributions at a South African university. Questionnaires elicited students' perspectives of and general attitudes towards assessment of and by their peers. A growing measure of discontent with the process of assessing peer contributions to group tasks emerged, including actual and perceived racial and gender stereotyping, and related rejection-sensitivity. These initial findings were checked against the students' experiences in a report-and-respond process that enabled probing discussions of the interpretations. This paper examines and explores the implications of such identifications and receptions for learning engagement and group-work curriculum development in the context of a rapidly transforming higher education sector.

‘Why mouth all the pieties?’ Black and women academics’ revelations about discourses of ‘transformation’ at an historically white South African university

“…This study has been informed by this ethos, from its very inception. We were encouraged by a group of programme recipients to undertake a study exploring their differing receptions of group membership and transformation, following a presentation of our findings of a study on societal asymmetries in terms of race and gender on students' peer-assessment dynamics in a South African university (Thondhlana and Belluigi 2016). The historically white institution, within which these participants were situated, had been progressive in piloting various iterations of such developmental programmes from 2000.…”

SoTL: A mechanism for understanding and finding solutions to teaching and learning challenges

“…He argues that these strategies need to be implemented in a systematic way to ensure that every student has an opportunity to participate in at least two such practices during their undergraduate studies. These strategies are already in use in many South African universities, and include: coordinated first-year experience seminars (Leibowitz et al, 2009); writing-intensive courses (Nichols, 2017); collaborative assignments and projects (Thondhlana & Belluigi, 2017); inquirybased learning; service-learning (Sewry & Paphitis 2018) and capstone courses (Bauling, 2017). These kinds of practices contribute to the development of students' identities as scholars and, in the case of service-learning, may foster critical citizenship.…”

“…It is necessary to investigate why students respond negatively to a teaching and learning strategy if one is to improve one's practice and students' learning. Thondhlana requested the assistance of academic developer, Dina Belluigi, to conduct a focus group discussion with the students to elicit their views on the peer-assessment strategy (Thondhlana and Belluigi, 2017). From the conversation, it emerged that black and female students experienced the assessment of their work by male and white peers as based not solely on the quality of their work; rather, they felt that the peer-assessment reflected race-or gender-based biases.…”

“…The focus group discussion contributed to participatory parity and recognition in that context. The work by Thondhlana and Belluigi (2017) point to the need for inquiry into student learning that does not shy away from confronting difficult questions with students about race, class and gender and thus addresses the interpersonal and ethical dimensions of teaching and learning.…”

Improving student assessment feedback in an introductory accounting course through two-stage collaborative assessment

“…This has led to a situation where educational opportunities are limited for African, Coloured and to a lesser extent Indian learners (collectively referred to as "black" learners), (Coetzee, Schmulian and Kotze 2014). Even though apartheid was abandoned in 1994 many people still carry the scars and inferiority complexes caused by the discrimination against black communities (Thondhlana and Belluigi 2016). The fragmented South African education system often leads to especially black students being unprepared for higher education resulting in less favourable outcomes for these students (Cross and Carpentier 2009).…”