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Predicting pre-service teachers’ intention of implementing peer assessment for low-achieving students

Asia Pacific Education Review volume 17, pages 63–72 (2016)Cite this article

Abstract

Despite the benefits of peer assessment, many teachers are not willing to implement it, particularly for low-achieving students. This study used the theory of planned behaviour to predict pre-service teachers’ intention to use peer assessment for low-achieving students. A total of 229 pre-service teachers in Singapore participated in the survey which consists of eight factors about peer assessment in writing: belief of knowledge source, belief of ability, belief of constructivist assessment, attitude, subjective norm, perceived behaviour control, behavioural intention, and intention for low-achieving students. Structural equation modelling was used to test hypothesized relationships of the eight factors. This study found that pre-service teachers’ beliefs about knowledge source and constructivist assessment significantly influenced their attitude towards peer assessment of writing. In addition, the attitude and perceived behaviour control were significant factors in shaping the intention of peer assessment. Lastly, pre-service teachers’ intention of implementing peer assessment for low-achieving students was influenced by both the intention of peer assessment and the belief of ability.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Korean Institute of Curriculum and Evaluation, Seoul, South Korea

    Su Yon Yim

  2. Department of Education, Seoul National University, 1 Gwanak-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul, South Korea

    Young Hoan Cho

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  1. Su Yon Yim
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Appendix: Descriptive statistics of survey items

Appendix: Descriptive statistics of survey items

Survey items Mean SD
Belief of knowledge source (BK) 4.25 1.35
BK1. Sometimes I just have to accept comments from a professor on my essay, even if I do not understand them® 3.95 1.69
BK2. If I read something in a writing composition textbook, I can be sure it is right® 4.55 1.50
Belief of ability (BA) 4.70 1.37
BA1. Some people just have a talent for writing, while others do not® 5.22 1.67
BA2. How well students write an essay depends on how smart they are® 3.96 1.80
BA3. The really smart students do not have to work hard to write an essay well® 4.93 1.60
Belief of constructivist assessment (BC) 5.54 9.42
BC1. Teachers should involve students in evaluating their own writing and setting their own goals 5.83 1.09
BC2. Teachers should assess students informally by observing their writing processes 5.25 1.13
Attitude (AT) 4.89 1.01
AT1. Peer assessment is valuable for writing 4.97 1.12
AT2. Peer comments are helpful for improving writing quality 4.87 1.14
AT3. I am in favour of conducting peer assessment in writing class 4.68 1.40
AT4. It is a bad idea for students to give comments on peer writing® 5.03 1.37
Subjective norm (SN) 4.02 1.05
SN1. Most teachers consider peer assessment important in writing class 3.69 1.41
SN2. Peer assessment receives more recognition from schools than traditional assessment 4.30 1.32
SN3. The Ministry of Education encourages teachers to use peer assessment for writing 4.07 1.18
Perceived behavioural control (PBC) 4.07 1.08
PBC1. I will be able to decide how to design and implement peer assessment activities in future writing lessons 3.96 1.38
PBC2. I am confident about conducting peer assessment for writing 4.16 1.36
PBC3. I can adapt peer assessment to the needs of students in writing class 4.10 1.21
Behavioural intention (BI) 4.68 1.05
BI1. I will encourage other teachers to use peer assessment for writing 4.61 1.27
BI2. I am willing to use peer assessment instead of traditional assessment in writing class 4.58 1.25
BI3. I plan to use peer assessment in future writing lessons 4.63 1.25
BI4. I intend to receive training on peer assessment for writing 4.90 1.27
Intention for low-achieving students (ILS) 4.64 1.15
ILS1. I will not use peer assessment on students with low writing competence® 4.69 1.30
ILS2. I will encourage low-ability students to give comments on peer writing 4.37 1.58
ILS3. I will not use peer assessment if students often make grammar mistakes® 5.00 1.40
ILS4. I will use peer assessment to improve the writing competence of low-ability students 4.53 1.44
  1. ®The coding was reversed

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Yim, S.Y., Cho, Y.H. Predicting pre-service teachers’ intention of implementing peer assessment for low-achieving students. Asia Pacific Educ. Rev. 17, 63–72 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12564-016-9416-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12564-016-9416-y

Keywords

  • Peer assessment
  • Theory of planned behaviour
  • Teacher belief
  • Low-achieving students