Validity of Student Self-Assessments

Educational Psychology Review, 2016

This paper reviews current known issues in student self-assessment (SSA) and identifies five topics that need further research: (1) SSA typologies, (2) accuracy, (3) role of expertise, (4) SSA and teacher/curricular expectations, and (5) effects of SSA for different students. Five SSA typologies were identified showing that there are different conceptions on the SSA components but the field still uses SSA quite uniformly. A significant amount of research has been devoted to SSA accuracy, and there is a great deal we know about it. Factors that influence accuracy and implications for teaching are examined, with consideration that students’ expertise on the task at hand might be an important prerequisite for accurate self-assessment. Additionally, the idea that SSA should also consider the students’ expectations about their learning is reflected upon. Finally, we explored how SSA works for different types of students and the challenges of helping lower performers. This paper sheds light on SSA research needs to address the known unknowns in this field.

The Education and science journal, 2018

Introduction. The problems of assessment of student achievements as an indicator of the quality of knowledge and skills acquired by them are constantly in the focus of the pedagogical community and scientists involved in the development of education. Currently, the question of the objective measurement of learning outcomes is especially relevant because the priority task of education is the development of the student's abilities to set independently learning goals, project ways of their implementation, monitor own actions, reflect own successes and failures and correct errors, in other words, the formation of the ability to learn independently. The traditional scoring system of grades is of little use to solve this problem since it is focused primarily on testing the reproductive level of mastering the training material and is aimed solely at external control, rather than improving the learning outcomes. In the new conditions, a new assessment system which includes self-control and self-assessment of students is required. The aim of the publication is to discuss the existing approaches to the formation of self-evaluation of students and the effective use of this pedagogical tool for monitoring and increasing the motivation to learning in the educational process. Methodology and research methods. The main research methods are theoretical analysis, synthesis, comparison and generalization of the content of scientific literature of the relevant subject matter. Results and scientific novelty. A new format for the learning outcomes assessment based on the collection of information on the achievements of the students from various sources and on the regular monitoring of their advancing progress along the individual educational trajectory is considered. Such a prolonged assessment is more informative than the usual marks which are set out in points, so it allows the teacher to promptly regulate the educational process and make timely correct decisions about its correction. In addition, it enables the student to participate in the procedures for assessing his/her own level of knowledge and develops his/her self-assessment skills. According to the initial targets, summative or forming types of self-assessment are identified. Its advantages as a mechanism for managing the educational process are shown: self-assessment contributes to

This study aimed to compare between the students' self-assessment and teachers' assessment. The study sample consisted of 71 students at Tafila Technical University studying Introduction to Psychology course. The researcher used 2 students' self-assessment tools and 2 tests. The results indicated that students can assess themselves accurately if they are trained how to implement self-assessment.

Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy and Practice

Student self-assessment is a central component of current conceptions of formative and classroom assessment. The research on self-assessment has focused on its efficacy in promoting both academic achievement and self-regulated learning, with little concern for issues of validity. Because reliability of testing is considered a sine qua non for the validity of assessment interpretations, and research into the human ability to self-evaluate work raises concerns about the quality of students’ judgments, it is sensible to investigate the accuracy of students’ self-assessments. This article reviews relevant literature from educational psychology and psychometrics to define the need for a better understanding of accuracy in self-assessment as well as to identify possible pitfalls in measuring accuracy that could undermine its effectiveness by, for example, trading the focus on formative feedback for summative scoring or rating. The article concludes with recommendations for the design of r...

Frontiers in Education

This article is a review of research on student self-assessment conducted largely between 2013 and 2018. The purpose of the review is to provide an updated overview of theory and research. The treatment of theory involves articulating a refined definition and operationalization of self-assessment. The review of 76 empirical studies offers a critical perspective on what has been investigated, including the relationship between self-assessment and achievement, consistency of self-assessment and others' assessments, student perceptions of self-assessment, and the association between self-assessment and self-regulated learning. An argument is made for less research on consistency and summative self-assessment, and more on the cognitive and affective mechanisms of formative self-assessment.

Alternative methods of assessment have recently attracted the researchers' and educators' attention. In this sense, self-assessment as a significant learning strategy for autonomous language learning has been the focus of much research. The current study attempted to investigate whether Iranian EFL students' self-assessments would correspond to their teachers' assessments considering the productive skills. It also aimed to see if the teachers' experience would influence the correspondence between the two assessments. Hence, 100 beginner EFL students (in six separate classes) were asked to self-assess their own writing and speaking skills. Their corresponding teachers (six ones) were also asked to assess their students. The results of descriptive statistics and a series of independent t-tests showed that students' self-assessments were in accordance with their teachers' assessments and the teachers' experience would not predict the correspondence between these two evaluation scores. According to the results, it is recommended that teachers employ self-assessment techniques in their classes to involve their students in the process of evaluation. Some suggestions for further research are also presented.

Communication Teacher, 2019

This longitudinal pilot study developed and tested an instrument to assess students' perceptions of the extent to which they accomplished the learning objectives that were listed in a number of communication course syllabi. In addition to students' perceptions that they had improved from the start to the end of the semester in achieving course objectives, the findings revealed that students' assessment was related positively to their ratings of professors' teaching effectiveness. The instrument provides valuable information about students' accomplishment of teachers' course learning objectives.

International Journal of Applied and Basic Medical Research, 2016

Context: Tutor assessment is sometimes also considered as an exercise of power by the assessor over assesses Student self-assessment is the process by which the students gather information about and reflect on their own learning and is considered to be a very important component of learning Aim: The primary objective of this study was to analyze the impact of self-assessment by undergraduate medical students on their subsequent academic performance. The secondary objective was to obtain the perception of students and faculty about self-assessment as a tool for enhanced learning Materials and Methods: The study was based on the evaluation of two theory tests consisting of both essay type and short answer questions, administered to students of the 1 st year MBBS (n = 89). They self-assessed their performance after 3 days of the first test followed by marking of faculty and feedback. Then, a nonidentical theory test on the same topic with the same difficulty level was conducted after 7 days and assessed by the teachers. The feedback about the perception of students and faculty about this intervention was obtained Results: Significant improvement in the academic performance after the process of self-assessment was observed (P < 0.001). There was a significantly positive correlation between student and teacher marking (r = 0.79). Both students and faculty perceived it to be helpful for developing self-directed learning skills. Conclusions: Self-assessment can increase the interest and motivation level of students for the subjects leading to enhanced learning and better academic performance, helping them in development of critical skills for analysis of their own work

BACKGROUND Self-assessment refers to the involvement of learners in making judgements about their own learning, particularly about their achievements and the outcomes of their learning (Boud & Falchikov, 1989). Enhanced learning and professional development are the desirable end effect of self-assessment. However, questions are often raised about the reliability (i.e. accuracy and consistency) of students' self-assessment. Recent studies have revealed substantial discrepancies in students' self-assessment performance in terms of accuracy and consistency, potentially leading to the rejection of selfassessment. Hence, understanding the scope and limitations of students' self-assessment is critical. PURPOSE This study was intended to examine the reliability and importance of self-assessment, and uncover other significant learning and professional development benefits of students' self-assessment. DESIGN/METHOD Over the last three years, a longitudinal study of self-assessment of an assignment was conducted of successive first year university student cohorts, comprising of more than 75 per cent distance students. Students were asked to self-assess their assignments with the help of self-assessment guidelines and model answers. On the self-assessment feedback rubric provided, they allocated marks and provided justification for the marks for each assignment answer. Feedback from students' self-assessment was analysed quantitatively to examine the accuracy and consistency of selfassessment with respect to tutor's assessment, and qualitatively to understand the impact of selfassessment in their learning and professional development. RESULTS A comparison of students' self-assessment marks with the tutor's assessment marks showed that the majority of the students (~ 47%) overestimated their performance, while a significant proportion (~39%) remained within ±10 per cent of the tutor's assessment marks, and the remaining (~14%) undervalued their work. Correlations between students' self-assessment and tutor assessment marks ranged between-0.14 to 0.8 for various on campus and distance student cohorts. The accuracy of students' self-assessment was less than promising when considering tutor's marks as the benchmark (or expert judgement). These results are consistent with the findings of many other researchers including Boud & Falchikov (1989) and Lew et al. (2010). A wide range of correlations between various student cohorts also showed the lack of assessment consistencies. Therefore, students' selfassessment may not be a reliable (i.e. accurate and consistent) assessment technique even though some researchers have reported improved reliability under specific circumstances (e.g. Ross, 2006; Ward et al., 2002; and Rolheiser & Ross, 2006). The study has revealed that the major contributor to learning during students' self-assessment is not the accuracy or consistency of students' selfassessment. Instead it is the change in students' psychological perspectives when they go through the process of self-assessment. In this study metacognition, constructivist learning, and self-efficacy have been identified as triggers to students' learning and professional development during self-assessment. CONCLUSIONS The study has demonstrated that students vary considerably in assessing their own work. Hence, the learning gained during students' self-assessment may not come from the accuracy and consistency of self-assessment. Instead, it is triggered by the change in students' psychological perspectives resulting in metacognitive knowledge, learning constructivism and development of self-efficacy.