Taiwan college students' self-efficacy and motivation of learning in online peer assessment environments

Online peer assessment is an innovative evaluation method that has caught both educators' and practitioners' attention in recent years. The purpose of this study was to develop relevant questionnaires for teachers to understand student self-efficacy and motivation in online peer assessment learning environments. A total of 205 college students with experience in online peer assessment participated in this study. Two questionnaires measuring students' online peer assessment self-efficacy (OPASS) and their motivations in online peer assessment learning environments (MOPAS) were developed. The former included three self-efficacy scales: evaluating, receiving and reacting. The latter included two scales: intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation. Through factor analysis, both revealed highly satisfactory validity and reliability in assessing students' self-efficacy and motivation in online peer assessment learning environments. Moreover, the students' responses also showed that they were highly confident and strongly intrinsically motivated when participating in an online peer assessment learning environment. Finally, the interplay between the scales of OPASS and those of MOPAS was explored and the reciprocal relationship between students' self-efficacy and motivation in an online peer assessment learning environment was also highlighted.     

An Analysis of Peer Assessment Online Discussions within a Course that uses Project-based Learning

In recent years project-based learning (PBL) incorporating online discussions has gradually been applied to courses that focus on writing projects. Past studies have shown that learners in PBL often face the difficulties of not having in-depth data analysis and peer discussions and how teachers design the rules and methods for online discussions has a significant influence on the quality of discussion. Since using a peer assessment strategy in the classroom could facilitate learners' critical thinking and meta-cognitive skills, this study conducts an empirical observational study in order to analyse the content and process of the discussion activities based on peer assessment without teacher intervention and tries to explore students' knowledge construction of the discussion. Sequential analysis and content analysis were conducted to observe the scale of each aspect of knowledge construction and the sequential pattern of students' knowledge construction during the discussions. Teachers didn't provide any guidance or intervention during the activity. Based on the results of the observations, this study discusses the possible difficulties that students may encounter when conducting peer assessment online discussions. Finally, this study also proposes suggestions about the timing and methods for teacher interventions.     

Quantitative analysis of the rubric as an assessment tool: an empirical study of student peer‐group rating

Although the rubric has emerged as one of the most popular assessment tools in progressive educational programs, there is an unfortunate dearth of information in the literature quantifying the actual effectiveness of the rubric as an assessment tool in the hands of the students. This study focuses on the validity and reliability of the rubric as an assessment tool for student peer‐group evaluation in an effort to further explore the use and effectiveness of the rubric. A total of 1577 peer‐group ratings using a rubric for an oral presentation was used in this 3‐year study involving 107 college biology students. A quantitative analysis of the rubric used in this study shows that it is used consistently by both students and the instructor across the study years. Moreover, the rubric appears to be ‘gender neutral’ and the students' academic strength has no significant bearing on the way that they employ the rubric. A significant, one‐to‐one relationship (slope = 1.0) between the instructor's assessment and the students' rating is seen across all years using the rubric. A generalizability study yields estimates of inter‐rater reliability of moderate values across all years and allows for the estimation of variance components. Taken together, these data indicate that the general form and evaluative criteria of the rubric are clear and that the rubric is a useful assessment tool for peer‐group (and self‐) assessment by students. To our knowledge, these data provide the first statistical documentation of the validity and reliability of the rubric for student peer‐group assessment.     

The impact of two types of peer assessment on students' performance and satisfaction within a Wiki environment

The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of two peer assessment methods on university students' academic writing performance and their satisfaction with peer assessment. This study also examined the validity and reliability of student generated assessment scores. Two hundred and thirty-two predominantly undergraduate students were selected by convenience sampling during the fall semester of 2007. The results indicate that students in the experimental group demonstrated greater improvement in their writing than those in the comparison group, and the findings reveal that students in the experimental group exhibited higher levels of satisfaction with the peer assessment method both in peer assessment structure and peer feedback than those in the comparison group. Additionally, the findings indicate that the validity and reliability of student generated rating scores were extremely high. Using Wiki interactive software and providing an online collaborative learning environment to facilitate peer assessment added value to peer assessment.     

句酷批改网英语作文评分的信度和效度研究

作文批改与反馈是英语写作教学的一个重要环节,对提高学生的写作能力有着不可低估的作用,句酷批改网以其优势而深受广大师生的喜爱。句酷批改网的作文评分有很高的信度,但评分显著地高于教师的评分,尚不能反映学生英语作文的真实水平。从效度上看,以句子为单位,在词汇和语法等方面进行详细的评价,但在篇章结构、文体修辞、内容逻辑性和连贯性方面不能给学生充分的反馈。在运用批改网的同时,我们还要同其他的评估方式结合起来。     

The development of science activities via on-line peer assessment: the role of scientific epistemological views

This study implemented an online peer assessment learning module to help 36 college students with the major of pre-school education to develop science activities for future instruction. Each student was asked to submit a science activity project for pre-school children, and then experienced three rounds of peer assessment. The effects of the online peer assessment module on student learning were examined, and the role of Scientific Epistemological Views (SEVs) in the learning process was carefully investigated. This study found that student peers displayed valid scoring that was consistent with an expert’s marks. Through the online peer assessment, the students could enhance the design of science activities for future instruction; for instance, the science activities became more creative, science-embedded, feasible and more suitable for the developmental stage of pre-school children. More importantly, students with more sophisticated (constructivist-oriented) SEVs tended to progress significantly more for designing science activities with more fun, higher creativity and greater relevancy to scientific knowledge, implying that learners with constructivist-oriented SEVs might benefit more from the online peer assessment learning process. These students also tended to offer more feedback to their peers, and much of the peer feedback provided by these students was categorized as guiding or helping peers to carefully appraise and plan their science activity projects. This study finally suggested that an appropriate understanding regarding the constructivist epistemology may be a prerequisite for utilizing peer assessment learning activities in science education.     

Give and take: A re‐analysis of assessor and assessee's roles in technology‐facilitated peer assessment

The study examined how playing two roles as assessors and assessees in technology‐assisted peer assessment contributes to students' performance. Data from a previous study was recoded and analysed to understand peer assessment processes from a different angle. Findings of our previous study supported the importance of the assessor's role, but not the assessee's role. In the present study, the assessee's role was re‐examined based on the assessee's ability to critically judge and act upon peer feedback, instead of quality of peer feedback that they received. Regression analysis was conducted, and results suggested that how students responded to peer feedback, as indicated by the number of good versus misleading suggestions incorporated, significantly predicted their final project scores. The findings support the importance of both assessor and assessee's roles in peer assessment and provide valuable implications for effective implementation of peer assessment.     

WHAT YOU KNOW AND HOW YOU WRITE IT: A PROJECT FOR TEACHING AND ASSESSING WRITING ACROSS THE CURRICULUM

Writing evaluation conventionally relies on essay tests, but more informal methods can help reveal students' writing skills. A classroom project was designed to examine students' awareness of the demands posed by various academic writing, tasks, to discover how that awareness develops with experience, and to orient new students to the roles writing plays in their academic lives. The project involved three groups: freshmen enrolled in introductory writing classes for the first time, freshmen and others repeating the introductory classes, and upperclass students enrolled in a course in professional writing. At the beginning of the semester, all were asked to report any information they could find that would help them complete the semester's writing tasks. At the end of the semester they added information they had gained in the interval. Reports from all groups contained the same kinds of information, but students in professional writing noted more often that purposes of assignments related to goals for the course, while the freshmen added more late information about writing processes. The project was a valuable learning activity and suggested what roles writing plays in students' academic lives. Similar projects should be included in a thorough assessment of writing programs.     

Student-Generated Content: Enhancing learning through sharing multiple-choice questions

The relationship between students' use of PeerWise, an online tool that facilitates peer learning through student-generated content in the form of multiple-choice questions (MCQs), and achievement, as measured by their performance in the end-of-module examinations, was investigated in 5 large early-years science modules (in physics, chemistry and biology) across 3 research-intensive UK universities. A complex pattern was observed in terms of which type of activity (writing, answering or commenting on questions) was most beneficial for students; however, there was some evidence that students of lower intermediate ability may have gained particular benefit. In all modules, a modest but statistically significant positive correlation was found between students' PeerWise activity and their examination performance, after taking prior ability into account. This suggests that engaging with the production and discussion of student-generated content in the form of MCQs can support student learning in a way that is not critically dependent on course, institution, instructor or student.     

Effects of Peer-Led Online Asynchronous Discussion on Undergraduate Students' Cognitive Achievement

Abstract

This study investigated the effect of peer leadership on students' cognitive achievement in online asynchronous discussions. Undergraduate students from a large online course were randomly assigned into groups for four asynchronous discussions, with each group having two to three peer leaders. Results of the mixed-method analysis revealed that the quality of student leaders' lower-order cognitive achievement in online discussion was significantly better than that of student responders. Student leaders' higher-order cognitive level achievement in online discussion had at least the same quality as that of student responders. Moreover, both students' higher-order and lower-order cognitive achievement in discussions had positive and moderate correlation with students' course achievement. Further study should focus on methods to maximize student responders' cognitive achievement in online peer-led discussions.     

Development of a peer‐assisted learning strategy in computer‐supported collaborative learning environments for elementary school students

This study explores the effects of Electronic Peer‐Assisted Learning for Kids (EPK), on the quality and development of reading skills, peer interaction and self‐concept in elementary students. The EPK methodology uses a well‐developed, synchronous computer‐supported, collaborative learning system to facilitate students' learning in Chinese. We first review the theoretical framework and architecture of EPK. This study aimed to compare students learning Chinese language arts activities online using EPK with students learning face‐to‐face in a classroom setting. Students' online interactions were coded into four patterns of peer interactions: task coordination, tutor behaviour, tutee behaviour and off‐task. The online activity type significantly influenced the online peer interactions. Students in the online peer‐assisted learning group outperformed the face‐to‐face group on reading skills. Students learning online showed significant growth in self‐concept, and this was especially true for students who were passive participants. These findings demonstrate that EPK is an effective tool that can enhance elementary students' reading, as well as promote positive self‐concepts.     

Can Assessment Mirror Instruction? A Look at Peer Response and Revision in a Large-Scale Writing Test

Both recent research and practitioners' classroom experience repeatedly affirm that the opportunity to obtain peer response and revise rough drafts helps writers to improve their texts. With the god of aligning assessment with exemplary instructional practices, writing on the Maryland School Performance Assessment Program tests is assessed through a multiday, process-oriented framework. Results of a study analyzing students' peer response feedback and subsequent revisions through comparison of rough and final draft stage writing at Grades 3, 5, and 8 suggest that within this testing context, students' peer response is unengaged, minimal, and formulaic; revisions are similarly sparse and superficial, with scores on final drafts remaining the same or decreasing with greater frequency than they increase. This investigation demonstrates that elements of classroom-based "writing process" instruction cannot simply be inserted into otherwise unchanged assessment formats. It suggests instead a number of principles to guide a more sophisticated reconceptualization of performance-based writing assessments, the kinds of instruction they support, and the interdisciplinary research methods that inquiry into their implementation demands,     

Medical students' perceptions and performance in an online regional anatomy course during the Covid-19 pandemic

The present study evaluated the students' psychological well-being, experiences, performance, and perception of learning regional anatomy remotely. A regional anatomy remote learning curriculum was designed and learning materials were delivered virtually to 120 undergraduate medical students at Jinan University, China. All the students consented and voluntarily participated in this study by completing self-administered online questionnaires including the Zung's Self-Rating Anxiety and Depression Scales at the beginning and end of the learning session. A subset participated in focus group discussions. Most of the students (90.0%) positively evaluated the current distance learning model. More than 80% were satisfied with the content arrangement and coverage. Many students preferred virtual lectures (68.2%) and videos showing dissections (70.6%) during the distance learning sessions. However, writing laboratory reports and case-based learning were the least preferred modes of learning as they were only preferred by 23.2% and 14.1% of the students, respectively. There was no significant lockdown-related anxiety or depression reported by students using depression and anxiety scales as well as feedback from focus group discussions. The surveyed students' confidence scores in distance learning were significantly higher after 5 weeks than at the beginning of the session (3.05 ± 0.83 vs. 3.70 ± 0.71, P < 0.05). Furthermore, the present results showed no significant differences between the current group's academic performance in the unit tests as well as the final overall evaluation for different parts of the course compared to that of the previous year's cohort. The findings above were congruent with focus group discussion data that the use of the online teaching platform for regional anatomy significantly improved the students' confidence in virtual and self-directed learning and did not negatively affect their academic performance.     

Using modeled writing to support English-only and English-learner second-grade students

This study compared 70 English learners (ELs) and English-only (EO) second-grade students' writing samples before and after a yearlong writing program. The school utilized Write From the Beginning (J. Buckner, 2006) and focused on personal narratives. A subgroup of students also participated in an intervention supporting expository writing on curricular topics. Sociocognitive theory framed the Modeled Writing (MW) used in this study. An analysis of covariance used prescores on 2 writing assessments to compare students' writing achievement at the end of the year, and t tests compared students' writing by gender, language, and group on various pre- and posttest scores. Results indicate that MW benefited both EOs and ELs and that the MW students outscored the controls on all items of the standardized writing assessment at year's end. The comparison affords greater understanding of writing development and achievement differences among young ELs and EOs and suggests instructional and research opportunities.     

基于翻转课堂的“工程地质”课程教学设计与评价

在总结"工程地质"课程特点的基础上，将翻转课堂引入"工程地质"课程教学中，开展基于翻转课堂的"工程地质"课程教学设计，构建形成性学习评价和考核体系。翻转课堂教学模式将线上与线下教学有效融合，提高了课堂效率，增强了学生学习的主动性和课堂的参与度，有助于培养学生解决工程地质问题的综合能力。学生成绩对比分析结果表明，翻转课堂教学班期末考核成绩明显高于传统教学班；学生满意度问卷调查结果表明，学生对翻转课堂教学环节、考核体系和教学效果的满意度均超过90%，对翻转课堂教学模式给予了充分的肯定。     

Structuring asynchronous discussion groups: Comparing scripting by assigning roles with regulation by cross-age peer tutors

The present study focuses on comparing the impact of role assignment and cross-age peer tutors on students' level of knowledge construction in 15 asynchronous discussion groups of nine students each in a first-year university course (N = 135). Content analysis was applied to analyse the level of knowledge construction in students' online postings. The results indicated that students in the tutor-supported discussions reached significantly higher levels of knowledge construction as compared to students in the role-supported group. These findings underline the value of regulation by cross-age peer tutors to foster freshmen's knowledge construction processes.     

Instructional Sensitivity of a Complex Language Arts Performance Assessment

Validation of assessments intended to improve instruction and learning should include evidence of instructional sensitivity. This study investigated the instructional sensitivity of a standards-based ninth-grade performance assessment that required students to write an essay about conflict in a literary work. Before administering the assessment, teachers of 886 ninth-grade students were randomly assigned to one of three instructional groups: literary analysis, organization of writing, and teacher-selected instruction. Despite the short duration of instruction (8 class periods), results support the instructional sensitivity of the assessment in two ways: Instruction on literary analysis significantly improved students' ability to analyze and describe conflicts in literature, and instruction on the organization of writing led to significantly higher scores on measures of coherence and organization.     

Using generalizability theory to examine the accuracy and validity of large-scale ESL writing assessment

Using generalizability (G-) theory, this study examined the accuracy and validity of the writing scores assigned to secondary school ESL students in the provincial English examinations in Canada. The major research question that guided this study was: Are there any differences between the accuracy and construct validity of the analytic scores assigned to ESL students and to NE students for the provincial English writing examination across three years? A series of G-studies and decision (D-) studies for three years were conducted to examine accuracy and validity issues. Results showed that differences in score accuracy did exist between ESL and NE students when initial (pre-adjudication) scores were used. The observed G-coefficients for ESL students were significantly lower than those for NE students in all three years, indicating that there were less accuracy and increased errors associated with the writing scores assigned to ESL students. Further, there were significantly less convergent validity in one year and less discriminant validity in all three years of the writing scores assigned to ESL students than to NE students. These findings raise a potential question about the presence of bias in the assessment of ESL students’ writing if initial scores were used.     

A reciprocal peer review system to support college students' writing

As students' problem‐solving processes in writing are rarely observed in face‐to‐face instruction, they have few opportunities to participate collaboratively in peer review to improve their texts. This study reports the design of a reciprocal peer review system for students to observe and learn from each other when writing. A sample of 95 undergraduate students was recruited to construct texts with the support of web‐based reciprocal peer review in the processes of modelling, coaching, scaffolding, articulation, reflection and exploration. The results of the study revealed that these six processes helped students externalise and visualise their internal writing processes so that they could observe and learn from peers in writing as well as support peers in making text revisions. During their extensive and reciprocal interactions with various peers, students addressed mutual concerns in each other's text revisions. They constructed collaborative language knowledge for text improvement as local revisions (grammatical corrections) and global revisions (corrections on the development, organization or style of a text) were made in their final texts. The students' perceptions towards text improvement in this web‐based peer review of modelling, coaching, scaffolding, articulation, reflection and exploration are also discussed in this study.     

Preparing future teachers for diverse schools in an online learning community: Perceptions and practice

This study provides an example of one institution's efforts to design coursework that meets the simultaneous challenges of supporting the aims of increasing access to online courses and simultaneously better preparing teachers to work in diverse classrooms. Based on online pre- and post-surveys and monthly open-ended writing prompts administered to students in an introductory teacher preparation course, the study sought to discover students' motivation to select online or blended courses, student perspectives on the benefits and challenges to taking this course online, characteristics of the learning environment that promoted or interfered with students' learning, instructor's perspective of learners' reaction to topics addressing K-12 classroom diversity, and the impact of an online format on students' discussions of issues related to learner diversity. Findings suggest that online courses should include a classroom placement component in which students experience a diverse classroom in order to best prepare students for diverse teaching assignments. Thus, the best online teacher preparation courses maybe those that blend virtual and face-to-face interaction rather than being strictly online.