Learner Involvement in Self- and Peerassessment of Task-based Oral Performance

Abstract

The new understanding of learner role as active participants in learning has accompanied a paradigm shift in assessment practices. Learners are perceived to be responsible not only for their own learning but also for the assessment of their performances in terms of its procedures and rationales (Cheng & Warren, 2005; Fa1chikov, 1986; Luoma & Tarnanen, 2003; Orsmond & Merry, 1996). This study explores the plausibility of employing self- and peer-assessment as alternative approaches to assessment of seven Korean learners' oral presentation task performance. In order to cope with the subjectivity aspect of evaluating behavior, the study encouraged learner involvement in task assessment, which was operationalized as students' participation in the development of assessment sub-criteria and learner training as well as discussion regarding the criteria. The results from three periods of students' self- and peer-assessment on their presentation performance revealed that learner involvement in assessment can lead to a high comparability among three different assessment types; self-, peer-, and teacher-assessment. The students also reported that they had positive attitudes toward the alternative assessment.