Self- and Peer-Assessment in Focus: Stakeholders' Perceptions and Issues of Implementation

Involving learners in classroom-based assessment has been advocated by practitioners as it is believed to entail pedagogical benefits that lead to more effective learning and teaching through learner reflection and collaboration, based on peer discussion and feedback. This dialectic process reflects an approach to assessment that is often referred to as assessment for learning. With respect to the English language classroom, however, little is known about how widely the above views have been adopted in practice although stakeholders' perceptions, especially in higher education institutions, have already been investigated in relation to the use and impact of this kind of assessment. In this paper, we will review empirical research on self- and peer- assessment in relation to teachers' and learners' perceptions, the effects of training on its implementation and its scoring validity in relation to more traditional forms of assessment. The research findings reveal that learner training is indispensable as they can only become assessors for themselves and others if they are aware of the skill aspects of performance and have been provided with enough practice in self-directed assessment. At the same time, specific contextual factors may cause variation both in the implementation as well as the outcomes of learner assessments.