Student Self-Assessment

Synonyms

Self-evaluation

Definition

Many terms have been used synonymously with self-assessment, including self-evaluation, self-reflection, self-monitoring, self-rating, self-scoring, self-marking, and self-grading (Andrade and Valtcheva 2009; Brown and Harris 2013; Falchikov and Boud 1989). Broadly, self-assessment refers to an evaluative process during which students assess and provide feedback on their own work. Falchikov and Boud (1989) suggest that self-assessment can serve both formative and summative purposes. From a formative perspective, self-assessment contributes to the learning process by focusing students’ attention on areas in need of improvement: Students use their assessments to determine the extent to which they have met designated task criteria or standards and to identify areas of improvement. Serving a summative purpose, teachers can use student self-assessments for grading. Regardless of the purpose of self-assessment, Falchikov and Boud (1989) contend that...