Promoting peer assessment – learner to learner feedback in a multilingual high school english first additional language setting

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15587/2519-4984.2022.257869

Keywords:

peer feedback, peer assessment, multilingualism, English foreign language, English first additional language

Abstract

Feedback, further known as assessment in this research, is critical to learners’ growth and learning. This study is grounded in verbal and written peer experiences, acquired throughout peer evaluation in a multilingual context. This study aims to determine the problems of Grade 11 EFAL learners with peer assessment and how to develop peer assessment practices in a multilingual setting in the Further Education and Training phase. There were 27 learners in the class. Designated three learners gave three demonstrations on various matters, premised on a requisite Grade 11 literature set book, and were graded by their classmates. The perspectives of the learners who were assigned to work in groups were elicited by requesting them to respond to open ended questions in writing after their classmates’ presentations. According to the findings, some peer assessments can be subjective depending on the bond between the assessor and the assessed. The learners had a natural feeling of inadequacy in their assessments. When giving feedback in a multilingual setting, it becomes important to give it in a language they are most comfortable with. Similarly, helping students relate new information from peers to the knowledge that they already have helps them to understand and organise information in meaningful ways. Thus, the learners are comfortable with feedback that addresses the known that is then linked to the unknown. This calls for prior knowledge activation by other learners or even the teacher because new information is better integrated with existing information.Once students are used to peer assessment and have overcome their initial fears and hesitations, reliability is likely to be quite high, not that different from teacher reliability

Author Biography

Kufakunesu Zano, University of South Africa

PhD in English

Department of Linguistics and Modern Languages

References

  1. National Education Policy Investigation (1992). Language. Cape Town: Oxford University Press/NEPI, 103.
  2. Nicol, D., Thomson, A., Breslin, C. (2013). Rethinking feedback practices in higher education: a peer review perspective. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 39 (1), 102–122. doi: http://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2013.795518
  3. Topping, K. J. (2017). Peer Assessment : Learning by Judging and Discussing the Work of Other Learners. Interdisciplinary Education and Psychology, 1 (1). doi: http://doi.org/10.31532/interdiscipeducpsychol.1.1.007
  4. Sato, M., Lyster, R. (2012). Peer interaction and corrective feedback for accuracy and fluency development. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 34 (4), 591–626. doi: http://doi.org/10.1017/s0272263112000356
  5. Hwang, G. J., Hung, C. M., Chen, N. S. (2014). Improving learning achievements, motivations, and problem solving skills through peer assessment-based game development approach. Educational Technology Research and Development, 62 (2), 129–145. doi: http://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-013-9320-7
  6. Gikandi, J. W., Morrow, D. (2015). Designing and implementing peer formative feedback within online learning environments. Technology, Pedagogy and Education, 25 (2), 153–170. doi: http://doi.org/10.1080/1475939x.2015.1058853
  7. Kablan, Z. (2014). Comparison of individual answer and group answer with and without structured peer assessment. Research in Science & Technological Education, 32 (3), 251–262. doi: http://doi.org/10.1080/02635143.2014.931840
  8. Estes, J. S. (2017). Preparing Teacher Candidates for Diverse Classrooms. Advances in Higher Education and Professional Development, 52–75. doi: http://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-5225-0897-7.ch003
  9. Philibane, S. (2014). Multilingualism, linguistic landscaping and translation of isiXhosa signage at three Western Cape Universities. University of the Western Cape.
  10. Heller, M. (2007). Bilinualism: a social approach. London: Palgrave Macmillan, 361. doi: http://doi.org/10.1057/9780230596047
  11. McArthur, T B., McArthur, F. (1992). The Oxford Companion to the English Language. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1184.
  12. Williams, Q. E. (2015). Youth multilingualism in South Africa’s Hip-Hop culture: A metapragmatic analysis. Sociolinguistics Studies, 10 (1/2), 109–133. doi: http://doi.org/10.1558/sols.v10i1-2.27797
  13. Gambushe, W. (2015). Implementation of multilingualism in South African higher education: Exploring the sue of isiXhosa in teaching and learning at Rhodes University. Rhodes University.
  14. Edwards, J.; Bhatia, T. K., Ritchie, W. C. (Eds.) (2013). Bilingualism and multilingualism: Some concepts. The handbook of bilingualism and multilingualism. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing, 5–25. doi: http://doi.org/10.1002/9781118332382.ch1
  15. Garcia, O., Kano, N.; Conteth, J., Meier, G. (Eds.) (2014). Translanguaging as a process and pedagogy: Developing the English writing of the Japanese in the US. The multilingual turn in languages education: Opportunities and challenges. Bristol: Multingual Matters, 258–277. doi: http://doi.org/10.21832/9781783092246-018
  16. Allard, E. (2017). Re-examing teacher translanguaging: An ecological perspective. Bilingula Research Journal, 40 (2), 116–130. doi: http://doi.org/10.1080/15235882.2017.1306597
  17. Bay, E. (2011). The opinions of prospective teachers about peer assessment. Journal of Social Science, 10 (2), 909–925.
  18. Francois, J. (2016). The impact of teacher prompting and questioning on third-grade students’ comprehension. Honors Program Thesis 216. The University of Northern Iowa.
  19. Mophosho, M., Khoza-Shangase, K., Sebole, L L. (2019). The reading comprehension of grade 5 Setswana-speaking learners in rural schools in South Africa: Does language matter? Per Linguam, 35 (3), 59–73. doi: http://doi.org/10.5785/35-3-844
  20. Constantinescu, A I. (2017). Using technology to assist in vocabulary acquisition and reading comprehension. The Internet TESL Journal, 13 (2), 65–87.
  21. Piccinin, S. J. (2003). Feedback: Key to learning. Halifax: Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education.
  22. Nishanthi, R. (2020). Understanding the importance of mother tongue learning. International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development, 5 (1), 77–80.
  23. Zano, K. (2020). High school english foreign language teachers’ perceptions related to multingulaism in a classroom: A case study. Ponte Journal, 76 (5/1), 116-131. doi: http://doi.org/10.21506/j.ponte.2020.5.9
  24. Sathiaseelan, A. (2013). Mother tongue medium of instruction at Juniro Secondary Education in Jaffna – Advantages and limitations. Proceedings of the third international symposium. Oluvil.
  25. Charamba, E. (2020). Translanguaging in a multilingual class: a study of the relation between students’ languages and epistemological access in science. International Journal of Science Education, 42 (11), 1779–1798. doi: http://doi.org/10.1080/09500693.2020.1783019

Downloads

Published

2022-05-31

How to Cite

Zano, K. (2022). Promoting peer assessment – learner to learner feedback in a multilingual high school english first additional language setting. ScienceRise: Pedagogical Education, (3(48), 44–49. https://doi.org/10.15587/2519-4984.2022.257869

Issue

Section

Pedagogical Education