A Rating Scale for Peer Assessment of Speaking Classes

 

 

Issy Yuliasri

 

 

 

In line with the paradigm shift in English language teaching, where teaching becomes learner-centered, there has been paradigm shift in assessment, with the development of alternative assessment, which includes the idea of self and peer assessment.

 

I conducted classroom research on the application of peer assessment in my speaking classes in an EFL setting. Forty-two students were given a speaking task (monologue). Their individual perforn1ance was assessed by the lecturer and three peers at the same time. A teacher-modified rating scale was used as the instrument, consisting of 5 components, i.e. overall impression, fluency, content, pronunciation, and grammar and vocabulary.

 

The research findings showed significant correlation between lecturer-awarded scores and peer-awarded scores for four components of assessment. Only on one component, i.e. content, there was no significant correlation. It was also interesting to fmd the tendency of under-marking among peers in comparison to the lecturer-awarded marking, and no evidence of collusion among peers was found as it had been anticipated in the procedure.

 

 

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Yuliasri, I. (2005, April). A rating scale for peer assessment of speaking classes. Paper presented at the RELC International Seminar, Singapore.

 

 

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