Empowering physics students' performance in a group discussion through two types of peer assessment

Abstract

Group discussions are often used to improve students' participation in the learning process. Unfortunately, the most frequent problem is teacher difficulty assessing the contribution of each group member. This research aimed to explore student performance in group discussion through two types of peer assessment. Data were collected through interviews, observation, and peer assessment. There were two types of peer assessment: internal and external. This research indicated that both types of peer assessment enhanced students' performance in group discussions and involved interpersonal skills, teamwork, and problem-solving. Both types of peer assessment in this research eliminated the students' laziness, reduced intimidation by the active students, gave all members equal responsibility, and provided feedback to help them develop their participation in group discussion. The students became more aware of the weaknesses and strengths of their performance. This study is expected to provide an additional method in the learning process for teachers to assess and enhance student performance.