Researchers from the University of Oxford’s Department of Education conducted a meta-analysis to examine what effect peer assessment interventions have on academic performance.
Published in Educational Psychology Review, the meta-analysis evaluated the effect of peer assessment on academic performance when compared to no assessment and teacher assessment. Fifty-four studies were included in the meta-analysis, of which 45% were with school-age students. Studies had to examine the effect of peer assessment on non-self-reported measures of academic achievement and have a control or comparison group, using no assessment, teacher assessment, or self-assessment.
The findings from the analysis indicated that:
- Overall there was a significant positive effect of peer assessment on academic performance compared with no assessment (ES= +0.31) and teacher assessment (ES = +0.28).
- The effect size was similar when peer assessment compared with self-assessment (ES = +0.23) though this result was not significant.
- The effect sizes were slightly larger for school-age children than undergraduates.
The analysis concludes that peer assessment can be effective across a wide range of subject areas, education levels, and assessment types.