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A definition and typology of peer assessment between students in higher education is proposed, and the theoretical underpinnings of the method are discussed. A review of the developing literature follows, including both process and outcome studies. This indicates that peer assessment is of adequate reliability and validity in a wide variety of applications. Peer assessment of writing and peer assessment using marks, grades, and tests have shown positive formative effects on student achievement and attitudes. These effects are as good as or better than the effects of teacher assessment. Evidence for such effects from other types of peer assessment (of presentation skills, group work or projects, and professional skills) is, as yet, more limited. Computer-assisted peer assessment is an emerging growth area. Important factors in successful implementation are summarized, and recommendations for future research and practice are made.
In the increasingly diverse context of higher education, the formative, heuristic purposes of assessment have become more prominent. Formative assessment aims to improve learning while it is happening in order to maximize success rather than merely determine success or failure only after the event. Such assessment is intended to help students plan their own learning, identify their own strengths and weaknesses, target areas for remedial action, and develop meta-cognitive and other personal and professional transferable skills (Boud, 1990; Brown & Knight, 1994). Given this emphasis, interest has grown in self-assessment by students (Boud & Holmes, 1981; Boud, Churches, & Smith, 1986; Gale, 1984) and in peer assessment, which share common features.
Purpose and Structure of This Review
It is surprising that while the literature on self-assessment has been reviewed (Boud & Falchikov, 1989; Falchikov & Boud, 1989), that on peer assessment has not. The present review is a first attempt at filling this gap. Its objectives are several: to determine the extent, nature, and quality of the literature to date; to develop a typology of peer assessment; to explore the theoretical underpinnings of peer assessment and elucidate the mechanisms through which it might have its effects; and to outline directions for future research and practice. Evidence in the literature about peer assessment through marks, grades, and tests is considered, and reliability and validity are discussed. More detailed formative peer assessments of oral presentations, written outputs, group...