Grading peers and being graded raised scores slightly
In a statistics course, each student tried both approaches in randomized order; the final advantage was two or three percentage points.
The key idea
Giving and receiving peer feedback produced a small improvement, although students’ impressions did not match what they gained.
The study, in plain language
In a university statistics course, each student completed some units with peer assessment and others with instructor grading. In peer-assessment units, they commented on three assignments and received anonymous reviews from three classmates. Reference solutions were available in both conditions.
The study was repeated during two academic periods. On unit quizzes and the final exam, units with peer review did somewhat better. In this course, the difference amounted to a few percentage points.
Students did not always notice which activity had helped them more: their views about usefulness were not closely related to measured improvement. Because the activity combined giving and receiving comments, it is not possible to tell which part helped.
What they found
- Units with peer assessment did somewhat better than instructor-graded units on quizzes and the final exam.
- What each student thought about the activity’s usefulness was barely related to how much their score improved.
- The activity combined giving and receiving comments, so it is not known which part helped.
How they studied it
Students in a university statistics course alternated between two units with peer assessment and two with instructor grading. Each person tried both approaches in randomized order across two academic periods. Instructors grading quizzes and exams did not know which condition each student had experienced.
What the study cannot show
- The study took place in one course and excluded those who did not complete the activities. The intervention combined giving and receiving peer reviews, so the contributions of each part cannot be separated.
Something to think about
Have you ever understood a topic better by reviewing someone else’s work, or by receiving comments on your own? The improvement here was small and it is not known which part helped. Students’ impressions also did not closely match what they gained.
The original study
Peer Assessment Enhances Student Learning: The Results of a Matched Randomized Crossover Experiment in a College Statistics Class
Source under CC BY 4.0. English adaptation and explanation by PaperFlow, with AI assistance. The text has been reorganized for a general audience; it is not the complete paper and does not imply endorsement by its authors.
One study alone does not represent a field's consensus. Educational content does not replace professional advice. Report a possible error.
