Learning by Assessing in an EFL Writing Class

This study used many-faceted Rasch measurement to research peer assessment in EFL writing classes, following previous research which reported acceptance of the pedagogical benefits by students of attention paid to a rubric during peer assessment. Pre and post treatment writing was compared on two rubrics, one targeting specific instructional items, the second intended to measure general academic writing. Students used the instructional rubric to conduct peer assessment, but were not exposed to the secondary rubric. Substantively and statistically significant gains were observed on the instructional rubric but not on the secondary rubric, providing evidence of learning by assessing. Response patterns suggested holistic rating by peer raters, resulting in effective rank ordering of overall performances but an inability to provide formative feedback, supporting the view that the mechanism of learning was awareness arising from learning by assessing.