Peer Assessment in EFL Classrooms. A Qualitative Approach to Implementing Peer Assessment in Oral Communicative Learning Activities in EFL Classrooms

Abstract

This study investigated if any of the reported benefits related to peer assessment in writing could be transferred to oral EFL learning strategies. The study, despite a lack of control groups, sheds light on several aspects which influences peer assessment. The results indicated that the participants benefited from peer modelling and increased self-regulation due to assessing peers, rather than the response received from peers. The design of the study was quite experimental, as it aimed to combine the requirements of applicable criteria related to peer assessment with the complex yet informal nature of spoken language. By using a definition on oral interaction skills provided by the Norwegian Directorate of Education in connection to formal requirements of maritime distress calls, the researcher staged a project which imitated features of spontaneous speech in relation to perception, cognition and production. A group consiting of 14 students attending maritime vocational studies was used as test group.