Self- and Peer Assessment of Oral Presentation in Advanced Chinese Classrooms: An Exploratory Study

Abstract

Self- and peer assessment allows students to play a greater role in the assessment process. Twenty-one non-heritage undergraduate students who took the Advanced Chinese course at Duke University were involved in a project on self- and peer assessment of oral presentations. The project included rubric designing, training, practice, observation, evaluation, discussion, survey, and feedback. The assessment components were designed by the instructor and the students collaboratively during the first week of the course. They included content and organization of presentation, vocabulary and grammar, fluency and voice, accuracy of pronunciation, posture, and support. In addition to scoring for each of these components, the students were also asked to provide written comments on their own presentation and those of their peers. Self-, peer, and instructor assessments were analyzed and compared quantitatively and qualitatively. The results showed that the practice and discussion in the training session had a positive effect on the accuracy of students’ self- and peer assessment. Over 90% of the students liked participating in the assessment process and thought the self- and peer assessment conducive to their Chinese language learning. This study highlights the potential pedagogical benefits of involving students in assessment at both the cognitive and affective levels.