The impact of peer assessment on mathematics students’ understanding of marking criteria and their ability to self-regulate learning

At the University of Nottingham peer-assessment was piloted with the objective of assisting students to gain greater understanding of marking criteria so that students may improve their comprehension of, and solutions to, future mathematical tasks. The study resulted in improvement in all four factors of observation, emulation, self-control and self-regulation thus providing evidence of a positive impact on student learning. The pilot involved a large first-year mathematics class who completed a formative piece of coursework prior to a problem class. At the problem class students were trained in the use of marking criteria before anonymously marking peer work. The pilot was evaluated using questionnaires (97 responses) at the beginning and end of the problem class. The questionnaires elicited students’ understanding of criteria before and after the task and students’ self-efficacy in relation to assessment self-control and self-regulation. The analysis of students’ descriptions of the criteria of assessment show that their understanding of the requirements for the task were expanded. After the class, explanation of the method and notation (consistent and correct) were much more present in students’ descriptions. Furthermore, 67 per cent of students stated they had specific ideas on how to improve their solutions to problems in the future. Students’ self-perceived abilities to self-assess and improve were positively impacted. The pilot gives strong evidence for the use of peer-assessment to develop students’ competencies as assessors, both in terms of their understanding of marking criteria and more broadly their ability to self-assess and regulate their learning.