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Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher

Education
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Peer assessment as a learning tool

for enhancing student teachers'
preparation
a b b
Ali Al-Barakat & Omayya Al-Hassan
a
Yarmouk University , Irbid
b
The Hashemite University , Zarqa, Jordan
Published online: 14 Dec 2009.

To cite this article: Ali Al-Barakat & Omayya Al-Hassan (2009) Peer assessment as a learning tool
for enhancing student teachers' preparation, Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education, 37:4,
399-413, DOI: 10.1080/13598660903247676

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 Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education
Vol. 37, No. 4, November 2009, 399–413

Peer assessment as a learning tool for enhancing student

1469-2945 Journal of Teacher Education
1359-866X
CAPJ
Asia-Pacific Education, Vol. 37, No. 4, August 2009: pp. 0–0

teachers’ preparation
Ali Al-Barakata* and Omayya Al-Hassanb
Asia-Pacific
A. Al-BarakatJournal
and O.ofAl-Hassan
Teacher Education

a
Yarmouk University, Irbid; bThe Hashemite University, Zarqa, Jordan
(Received 14 July 2008; final version received 6 July 2009)
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This study investigates how peer assessment contributes to enhancing student teachers’
preparation during field experience. A semi-structured interview was conducted with
72 student teachers. The findings showed that the student teachers have positive beliefs
about peer assessment. They think that it can be beneficial if some changes are made in
the way it is employed in teacher education programs. In light of the study findings, the
researchers put forth a number of suggestions and recommendations for employing
peer assessment in teacher education programs in Jordan.
Keywords: field experience; peer assessment; teacher education

Introduction and background

Assessment has a powerful influence on the learning process (Boud, Cohen & Sampson,
1999; Davies, 2006). Research with students has indicated that the assessment process of
student learning is presumably a substantial component in identifying what and how
students learn, rather than how much information and knowledge is memorised (Shepard,
2000). Educational literature points out that academic assessment aims to facilitate student
learning, enable students to become active, responsible and reflective practitioners,
improve the quality of learning and provide formal accountability and accreditation of
knowledge (Orsmond, Merry & Reiling 2000; Wen, Tsai & Chang, 2006).
To achieve the aforementioned aims, peer assessment has been commonly used in cur-
rent years and it has brought changes in assessment procedures (Cheng & Warren, 1999;
Patri, 2002; Wen, Tsai & Chang, 2006). It is designed to develop active autonomous
learners who can think reflectively and take responsibility (Wen & Tsai, 2006). Therefore,
peer assessment is embedded in higher education institutes to help graduates appraise their
own work and that of others, and to adopt a more self-directed attitude towards their learn-
ing in preparation for their ongoing professional development (Stefani, 1994; Oldfield &
MacAlpine, 1995; Woolhouse, 1999).
In higher education institutions, the use of peer assessment is increasing. It is defined
as a way whereby students assess the quality of their colleagues’ performance and give
feedback to one another (Dochy, Segers, & Sluijsmans, 1999; Sluijsmans, Brand-Gruwel
& Merriënboer, 2002). Along the same lines, Steensels and colleagues (2006, p. 112)
explained that peer assessment is defined as a process whereby each student evaluates the

*Corresponding author. Email: aliah320033@gmail.com

ISSN 1359-866X print/ISSN 1469-2945 online

© 2009 Australian Teacher Education Association
DOI: 10.1080/13598660903247676
http://www.informaworld.com
 400 A. Al-Barakat and O. Al-Hassan

extent to which each of the other group members has exhibited certain traits, performed
specific tasks or accomplished particular objectives. In addition, Topping, Smith, Swanson
and Elliot (2000, p. 150) defined peer assessment as an arrangement for peers to consider
the level, value, worth, quality or success of the products or outcomes of learning of others
of similar status.
In teacher education, developing school teachers’ ability to practise peer assessment is
a primary aim (Reilly Freese, 1999; Sluijsmans, Moerkerke, Dochy & Van Merriënboer,
2001). Patri (2002) concluded that peer assessment is viewed to have a significant peda-
gogic value because it effectively contributes to enhancing teachers’ teaching techniques.
Sluijsmans, Brand-Gruwel, Merriënboer and Martens (2004) clarified that the philosophy
of training student teachers on peer assessment during field experience can be summarised
as follows:
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1. Communication between teachers in schools is the most important issue that can be
developed. It helps them to work together, learn from each other and become mem-
bers of a learning group. This should be constructed according to collaborative and
skill-based framework, where student teachers should be provided with procedures,
tools and job aids that help them to form their own working process.
2. Since student teachers will be appointed to teach children, it is advisable to train
them how to make critical judgements regarding their peers’ work. This helps them
to be able to judge children’s work and be assessors in their own classroom.
3. When student teachers graduate and start working as teachers, they are likely to
assess and be assessed by their peers. Therefore, practising peer assessment during
pre-service training is beneficial.

More specifically, the effectiveness of peer assessment in developing student teachers’

skills is related to the content of students’ feedback. It has been deemed a good source of
productive feedback, which is given prior to self-assessment (Al-Karasneh, 2005). Berg,
Admiraal and Pilot (2006) illuminated that more insight into the nature of feedback would
give an indication of how students could support each other and what kind of assistance a
tutor should preferably provide.
In view of the value of peer assessment, different studies were undertaken to investi-
gate its use and influence. Brindley and Scoffield (1998) examined the use of peer assess-
ment in two marketing modules in two undergraduate programs at Manchester
Metropolitan University. The findings revealed that students’ motivation increased as a
result of their active involvement in the assessment process, and their ability to gain a
greater understanding of the assessment process was developed. Similarly, Wen, Tsai and
Chang’s (2006) study showed that pre-service and in-service teachers had positive atti-
tudes towards the use of peer assessment as an alternative method of assessment. Orsmond
and Merry (1996) found that students did enjoy implementing peer assessment tasks and
benefited from them. In addition, they were critical, worked in a more structured way, and
found the work more challenging.
Through their review of the literature, Wen and Tsai (2006) found that peer assess-
ment promoted the quality of social interactions between students and between students
and their teachers, increased students’ understanding of their peers’ thinking during the
learning experience and their understanding of the cognitive and metacognitive areas
related to their own learning progress, and developed their social and transferable skills.
Al-Karasneh’s (2005) study revealed that peer assessment resulted in enhancing student
teachers’ understanding of the assessment process and the learning process.
 Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education 401

Hinett and Weeden (2000) reported that integrating peer assessment into teacher
education programs enhanced student teachers’ confidence and motivation to learn, and
enhanced their understanding of how qualitative judgements can be made. Hinett and
Weeden concluded that the British experience in the PGCE emphasises that the use of
peer assessment is useful, as it helps student teachers to develop sensitivity when giving
feedback. In her study, Woolhouse (1999) indicated that none of the participants was
disadvantaged from taking part in giving feedback in the peer assessment activities.
Sampling by both tutors and the external examiners confirmed that students took the peer
assessment activities seriously and gave thorough and critical feedback better than the
tutors would have done.
In light of the aforementioned review of the literature, it can be concluded that current
perspectives tend to concentrate on peer assessment as a fundamental element of students’
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learning. This means that student teachers should be given as many opportunities as possible
to practise peer assessment during their field experience. Therefore, assessment systems in
teacher education programs should recognise the importance of peer assessment and
employ it as a learning tool for developing teacher education.

Assessment in practicum courses in Jordan

In view of the importance of field experience in pre-service teacher preparation, the edu-
cational reform program in Jordan has recommended establishing practicum programs in
higher education institutes. As a result, schools of education at Jordanian universities have
established practicum programs in 1996. These programs were established to provide pre-
service teachers with practical skills. For instance, they learn how to plan their lessons,
manage the classroom, employ several teaching methods and activities, and develop clear
images of schools (Ministry of Education, 1995).
To achieve the aforementioned aims, most practicum programs in Jordanian univer-
sities have allocated credit hours for field experience, which is usually carried out in
schools in the final academic semester of teacher education. With respect to the way in
which the work of student teachers can be assessed during their field experience, the
assessment regulations in Jordanian universities (using Yarmouk University as a
model) identified that student teachers are to be assessed according to the following
reports:

1. Two reports written by the university supervisor based on two visits he/she made to
the student teacher.
2. One report written by the cooperating teacher on the student teacher’s performance
during the semester.
3. One report written by the cooperating school head teacher on the student teacher’s
interaction and cooperation with school administration and colleagues.

In writing their reports, the supervisor, cooperating teacher and head teacher depend
on their observations of student teachers in the classroom and school. Therefore, the main
tool for assessing pre-service teachers is observation. To the researchers’ knowledge,
classroom observation as an assessment tool was not used to assist and support students to
become reflective and critical individuals. This point was underlined by Al-Barakat (2003), who
found that the supervisor’s assessment of student teachers was one of the negative factors
influencing their preparation because the classroom observation he/she made was used for
grading purposes, rather than constructive help and guidance. This use of assessment tools
 402 A. Al-Barakat and O. Al-Hassan

contradicts the current perspectives, which stress that the assessment process should pro-
vide student teachers with constructive feedback in order to enable them to become active,
responsible and reflective learners.
In light of the assumption which stresses that teacher education programs should
provide clear evidence that students’ approaches to learning are very much influenced by
their perceptions of the assessment system, the present study assumes that the use of peer
assessment as a learning tool in teacher education is an essential prerequisite for profes-
sional development and for enhancing student teacher’s own performance.

Problems of the study

In light of the previous literature review, it is clear that great emphasis is placed on the role
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of peer assessment in enhancing the quality of student teachers’ learning. Despite the
existence of a considerable bulk of literature on peer assessment, no local literature exists
on using peer assessment as a learning tool. The current study intends to address this issue,
which is seen to be innovative in the Jordanian context.
The present study considers the use of peer assessment by student teachers in Jordan.
It attempts to find out if including peer assessment as part of field experience has a posit-
ive impact on student teachers’ preparation. The present study explores the perspectives of
student teachers at Yarmouk University and the Hashemite University in Jordan, in order
to achieve the following aims:

• Finding out the impact of the training that adopts peer assessment on improving
student teachers’ preparation.
• Investigating student teachers’ attitudes towards peer assessment as an educational
innovation in teacher education programs in Jordan.
• Giving suggestions to promote the effective use of peer assessment in teacher
education programs.

More specifically, the study addresses the following two questions:

1. What are the benefits of using peer assessment in teacher education from student
teachers’ perspectives?
2. What are the shortcomings of using peer assessment in teacher education from
student teachers’ perspectives?

Sample of the study

The participants of the study were 72 Jordanian student teachers specialising in childhood
education. They were purposefully chosen for their willingness to participate. They were
doing the practicum courses in their final academic semester of the teacher education pro-
gram at Yarmouk University and the Hashemite University.

Procedures of training on peer assessment

To carry out the study, two stages were undertaken over 14 weeks. The first one was the
preliminary stage and the second was the application stage. These stages were conducted
as described below.
 Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education 403

First stage: preliminary stage (4 weeks)

In view of the fact that peer assessment strategy is still a new educational innovation in
teacher education programs in Jordan, we felt that student teachers should first become
familiarised with it and be aware of its procedures. Therefore, we provided opportunities
for student teachers to practise peer assessment during their practicum courses. In order to
provide them with adequate training to decrease potential inconsistencies associated with
subjectivity related to the assessment process (Freeman, 1995), at the beginning of the
practicum program, before doing this investigation, we gave student teachers a two-hour
training session on peer assessment. Then, they watched videotaped lessons for about two
hours a week over four weeks. These procedures were suggested by some researchers for
improving peer assessment as a learning tool (e.g. Brindley & Scoffield, 1998; Boud,
1995; Falchikov, 1995; Hanrahan & Isaacs, 2001; Searby & Ewers, 1997; Race, 1998;
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Topping et al., 2000).

More specifically, the preliminary procedures were carried out according to the
following steps:

1. Explaining to student teachers the philosophy and purposes of peer assessment in

teacher education programs. This was done during the two-hour training session.
2. Making student teachers watch videotaped lessons, and engaging them in assess-
ment tasks after each lesson.
3. Asking student teachers, after having watched each videotaped lesson, to assess it by
writing down what makes that lesson a good or poor piece of classroom performance.
4. Collecting the anonymous comments made by student teachers and discussing
those comments with them.
5. Providing student teachers, as a result of the discussion of classroom performance,
with a better understanding of what is accorded with the accepted criteria and stan-
dards of good teaching practice.

Second stage: application stage (10 weeks)

This stage aimed to engage student teachers in reflective and constructive criticism of
their peers’ performance using peers’ feedback through interaction and effective commu-
nication in order to enable them to learn with and from each other. This was conducted as
follows:

1. The participants of the study (72 student teachers) were divided into 17 groups (in
which 13 groups comprised four student teachers and four groups comprised five
student teachers). In order to help them develop a better understanding of the set-
tings in which peer assessment is applied as a learning tool, each student teacher in
each group was observed once a week by her/his peers in the group during ten
weeks. This means that each student was observed ten times at ten 45-minute
lessons.
2. Each classroom observation was reflectively discussed in the group. During these
discussions, students were encouraged by the researchers to give feedback on their
peer’s performance. Then, the researchers started an in-depth discussion of class-
room performance in light of an observation schedule (see Appendix 1). This
helped in prompting student teachers to express their opinions and give construc-
tive feedback about their peers.
 404 A. Al-Barakat and O. Al-Hassan

Research approach
The present study adopted a qualitative approach to investigating student teachers’
perspectives on peer assessment and its effects as an educational innovation on teacher
education programs in Jordan.

Data collection
To answer the research questions, semi-structured interviews were used. These were
conducted to help the researchers explore the participants’ views about the benefits of peer
assessment as a learning tool in enhancing teacher education programs. This qualitative
research instrument is seen to be significant in collecting data because it gives the inter-
viewer some flexibility in the questioning process and allows the respondent to give a
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deep and detailed response. Moreover, it gives the interviewer freedom to probe more
deeply and to follow up the interviewees’ responses (Cohen, Mannion & Morrison, 2000;
Glaser & Strauss, 1967; Robson, 1997).
Taking ethical considerations into account, the participants’ consent was obtained to
conduct the interviews and tape-record them. They were also assured that their responses
would be treated confidentially and would be used only for research purposes. For each
participant, a convenient place and time were agreed upon for carrying out the interview.
The researchers prepared an interview schedule consisting of six main questions that
allowed the respondents to express their opinions, concerns and feelings clearly (see
Appendix 2). While conducting the interviews, the researchers tried to be impartial – they
did not show their preference of a certain point of view, niether their agreement or
disagreement with the interviewees’ opinions.

Data analysis
To analyse the data, each recorded interview was transcribed. The analysis followed a sys-
tem of coding the transcripts using systemic open-coding procedures (Miles & Huberman,
1994). The interview questions brought out sets of responses. The process of re-reading
the interview transcripts, examining them closely and rethinking them was a crucial step
towards grouping these responses together into clear and expressive categories. Moreo-
ver, open-coding enabled us to take into consideration all the content of the participants’
responses, as well as to focus on aspects of the data that appeared to have significance
for the aim of the study. After extensive analysis, seven main themes were identified
concerning the benefits of using peer assessment in teacher education programs (see
Table 1).
The analysis of the interviews was examined for validity and reliability, as we returned
it to the respondents to check if it is consistent with their responses. In addition, they were
asked whether our interpretations of their responses truthfully represented their opinions,
and if they would like to add or delete anything. Fortunately, the participants reported that
our interpretations matched their responses.

Findings
This section presents the findings of the study. First, it presents the findings related to the
benefits of using peer assessment in student teachers’ preparation. Then, it discusses the
results related to the shortcomings that prevent the effective use of peer assessment.
 Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education 405

Table 1. The benefits of using peer assessment in teacher education programs.

Category no. Main categories Frequencies* Percentage
1 Developing student teachers’ instructional competencies 72 100.00
2 Helping student teachers to form a set of criteria for 67 93.05
sound judgement on classroom performance
3 Developing student teachers’ abilities to assess their 69 95.83
peers’ performance
4 Developing student teachers’ self-confidence in 59 81.94
assessing classroom performance
5 Developing student teachers’ ability to reflect on their 55 76.38
classroom performance
6 Developing some personal traits in student teachers 45 62.50
7 Forming positive attitudes towards peer assessment as a 72 100.00
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learning tool
*Total number of the respondents is 72.

Benefits of using peer assessment in teacher education programs

The data analysis revealed that peer assessment as a learning tool can effectively contrib-
ute to developing student teachers’ performance. In this regard, the participants’ responses
have been consolidated into the seven main categories (see Table 1).

Developing student teachers’ instructional competencies

The data analysis demonstrated a general agreement (100%) among the participants on the
role of peer assessment in developing their classroom performance in a wide range of
areas. The development of instructional competencies seems to be a major category that
contains many other related subcategories, as demonstrated by the following quotes from
the interviews.

I realised from observing my peers’ planning the necessity of formulating my lesson plans in
accordance with Bloom’s taxonomy . . . I knew how I can design activities to suit the intended
learning outcomes.
I have learnt what I have to do to be effective in the usage of illustrations in instructional set-
tings . . . I gained a very solid foundation in selecting the more appropriate teaching strategies.

. . . I did not use a checklist for assessing young children’s behaviours before, but now I am
going to develop specific checklists to assess various aspects of children’s growth.

I have formed a good understanding of managing the learning environment in early childhood
education grades, especially the behavioural problems. I learnt new procedures to control and
guide my children’s behaviours.
I have improved the quality of classroom questions . . . I got many advantages from discuss-
ing our classroom behaviours in-depth.
I developed my classroom practices using alternative assessment tools which I have never
used before.

From the interviewees’ responses it can be noted that peer assessment had many bene-
fits related to facilitating and supporting student teachers’ learning. A careful look at the
aforementioned quotes shows that peer assessment helps student teachers to form behav-
ioural objectives, design learning activities, select appropriate teaching strategies, use
 406 A. Al-Barakat and O. Al-Hassan

instructional illustrations in the classroom effectively, assess children’s growth and devel-
opment, manage early childhood education classes, choose effective questions, use altern-
ative strategies to assess children’s learning, recognise how to use the local environment,
control and guide young children’s behaviours, and develop good classroom interaction
skills.

Helping student teachers to form a set of criteria for sound judgement on

classroom performance
The data analysis revealed that 93.05% of the respondents commented on this category as
substantial. Different responses exemplified this perception.
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. . . I think [peer assessment] is very useful. I developed many criteria for giving the right
judgement on my performance.

. . . It is very useful . . . I felt as though I am the tutor. I designed by myself some criteria to
measure my classroom performance.

These responses indicate that peer assessment was highly appreciated by student
teachers as an effective tool that enabled them to build up and develop specific criteria for
sound judgement on performance. This category was perceived as essential in teacher
preparation.

Developing student teachers’ abilities to assess their peers’ performance

The analysis of the data revealed that the majority of respondents (95.83%) reported that
this category can play a crucial role in developing their preparation. This was highlighted
by many respondents’ comments.

I felt as though I am the tutor. I am able, to some extent, to provide my colleague with good
feedback about her classroom performance.

I advise all university supervisors to train student teachers by peer assessment. It is an excellent
technique that makes us take responsibility for developing our learning . . . Extensive discus-
sions helped me to assess a variety of my peers’ instructional practices.

Interview quotes regarding this category reveal that using peer assessment tools
resulted in developing student teachers’ skills to be effective in judging their peers’
performance in a systematic process.

Developing student teachers’ self-confidence in assessing classroom performance

The findings showed that there was a strong relationship between peer assessment task
training and developing self-confidence. Concerning this point, many respondents (81.94%)
stated frankly:

. . . Yes, I have a high level of self-confidence. My observations of my peers’ performance

and their comments on mine are the reason.

. . . [A]fter training on peer assessment tasks, I can say that peer assessment developed my
self- confidence to assess my peers.
 Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education 407

These responses suggest that the student teachers perceived that peer assessment plays
a central role in developing a high level of confidence. Therefore, they felt that they were
able to judge classroom performance without hesitation in a manner similar to a specialised
expert.

Developing student teachers’ ability to reflect on their classroom performance

Fifty-five student teachers emphasised the contribution of peer assessment to developing
their ability to reflect on their classroom performance and behaviours. Below are exam-
ples of the participants’ responses.

. . . I would like to say that one of the fundamental aids in my preparation to be a teacher is the
use of peer assessment during field experience. I have improved a lot of areas in my instruc-
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tional performance during the course of reflecting on my own performance, and my friends’
performance.

I achieved good progress because of peer assessment. It helped me to be a good teacher, espe-
cially when I was thinking reflectively on my classroom behaviour.

From the extracts above, it is obvious that peer assessment provides student teachers
with a good foundation to construct and develop their own instructional skills through
reflective thinking, as it made them reflect on their own performance and that of their
peers’.

Developing some personal traits in student teachers

The data analysis showed, as it was mentioned by 45 respondents, that peer assessment
helped student teachers develop some personal characteristics. Student teachers offered
different related responses in this regard.

I have learnt to be objective, frank and faithful in assessing my colleagues’ performance . . . I

used to be introverted. I used to feel embarrassed when someone observed me in my
classroom . . . After having this [peer assessment] experience, I got rid of this psychological
problem.

Because I used to hate discussions and negotiations with other people, I was embarrassed at
the beginning of the peer assessment tasks . . . Now I can discuss and communicate with my
peers because I can defend my performance without hesitation . . . I can take responsibility for
my work.

Interestingly, the extracts above indicate important characteristics that effective

prospective teachers should possess, such as objectivity, good communication skills and
taking responsibility for assessing performance.

Forming positive attitudes towards peer assessment as a learning tool

The analysis of the interviews indicated that all the participants stated how their participa-
tion in peer assessment made them develop positive attitudes towards it. The following are
some extracts of the participants’ responses concerning this category.

It has been great fun . . . fun for the trainees to be qualified to teach. I definitely enjoyed it and
it made me motivated. I expressed my opinion without any hesitation.
 408 A. Al-Barakat and O. Al-Hassan

It helps me to understand my job requirements. . .. It improves the quality of my own instruc-

tional skills . . . It stimulates my motivation to learn about my future job.

It helps me to understand the way the other thinks. I prefer this kind of assessment. I do not
bother for marks in the practicum courses. The good thing in it is that you get rid of the nega-
tive influences of tutors’ observation processes, which are based on inspection rather than
improving classroom performance.

Really, I like peer assessment. It stimulates my motivation to know the right and the
wrong classroom behaviour. I used to ask about everything I have to do when I observe
others.

These quotes point to a consensus amongst the student teachers that participating in
peer assessment played a crucial role in developing positive attitudes towards it as a learn-
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ing tool during field experience.

Shortcomings of using peer assessment

The findings of the study revealed that peer assessment has a variety of advantages in
student teachers’ preparation. Yet, some student teachers reported that there were some
obstacles and shortcomings that negatively affect the use of peer assessment. These were
personal relations between students, and students’ lack of experience and knowledge.
These shortcomings prevented them from producing sound judgement on their colleagues’
performance. This was illustrated in the responses below.

If I give my peer negative comments on her performance, she will criticise me when she
assesses my lesson . . . I am ready to take part in peer assessment tasks, but I sometimes hesi-
tate to discuss a colleague’s performance weaknesses.

I do not like to assess my peers in the classroom. I may be unfair; I do not have a good idea
about that. This is the first time I have heard about this kind of assessment.

As you know, students do not trust each other in the assessment process because we do not
have a high level of knowledge to do this task.

Discussion of the findings

The study reported here raises a number of issues about the contribution of peer assess-
ment to enhancing student teachers’ training during field experience. It shows that student
teachers value the advantages of peer assessment because it contributes to the develop-
ment and improvement of teacher education and helps them become effective teachers.
One of the advantages of peer assessment was the development of student teachers’
instructional competencies. This advantage was achieved by discussing the strengths and
weaknesses of the classroom performance of each student teacher within the groups, and
how that performance could be improved. Certainly, this constructive discussion benefited
not only the observed student teachers, but also all the group members because they made
changes and improved their performance as a result of that interaction. In this respect, it is
worth pointing out that student teachers had the opportunity to see and critique a wide
range of daily lesson plans, teaching strategies, classroom behaviours and classroom inter-
actions. This finding is in line with what is said by Race (1998) regarding the significant
role of peer assessment in providing students with an ideal opportunity to learn from their
peers’ efforts during their involvement in assessment. Furthermore, Liu and Carless
(2006) explained that when students are engaged in peer feedback, their ‘learning is likely
 Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education 409

to be extended from the private and individual domain, to a more public (i.e. to one or
more peers) domain’ (p. 281).
Moreover, it was found that peer assessment made an important contribution to ena-
bling student teachers to form a set of criteria for sound judgement on classroom perform-
ance. Indeed, they would not have been able to form a sound understanding of classroom
performance without being involved in the peer assessment process, which gave them a
good opportunity to think critically in a safe and fostering environment. This agrees with
previous research findings (see Butler & Winne, 1995; Hinett & Weeden, 2000; Liu &
Carless, 2006; Nicol & MacFarlane-Dick, 2006), which concluded that using peer assess-
ment in training student teachers means giving them the opportunity to develop their skills
to make judgements in a non-threatening environment.
Another interesting finding of the study shows that participation in peer assessment
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tasks contributed not only to making student teachers able to assess their own perform-
ance, but also that of others’. It was revealed that when assessment criteria are clearly set
by the student teachers, they were able to make judgements on their peers’ performance
that were nearly similar to those made by their supervisor. From the student teachers’
comments, it was obvious that their acquisition of good assessment skills was owing to the
effective use of peer assessment during field training. In this respect, Cheng and Warren
(1997) concluded that students need to be given systematic and comprehensive training to
be assessors. Moreover, it was noted that student teachers’ possession of assessment skills
made them become confident of their ability to carry out assessments. This is another
benefit of peer assessment as explained below.
The student teachers emphasised that peer assessment helped them become more self-
confident. Developing standards for assessing classroom performance and practising this
with their peers made them feel more confident in conducting performance assessments. It
was also noted that the student teachers were highly enthusiastic about using peer assess-
ment during their training, and this, no doubt, had a positive effect on their learning. On
the one hand, this finding agrees that by Topping (2000), who asserted that peer assess-
ment plays a crucial role in improving self-confidence. On the other hand, it contradicts
some earlier studies (e.g. Cheng & Warren, 1997; Orsmond & Merry, 1996), which found
that students were uncomfortable with peer assessment because they felt that they lacked
confidence in the assessment process. In the present study, we think that the training student
teachers received on peer assessment and the various kinds of feedback they were given
by their peers had a positive influence on developing their self-confidence regarding their
own classroom performance, as well as their assessment of their peers’ performance. This
is consistent with earlier studies which emphasised that for enabling students to perform
peer assessment effectively they need training and experience (Freeman, 1995; Pond, Ul-Haq
& Wade, 1995).
In addition, peer assessment contributed to the development of the student teachers’
ability to reflect on their own performance. This indicates that peer assessment is effective
in enabling student teachers to have an active role in the management of their own per-
formance through an in-depth thinking process (Butler & Winne, 1995; Smith, Cooper &
Lancaster, 2002). It is obvious that this finding is compatible with current perspectives,
which assert that students should take responsibility for their own professional develop-
ment. Indeed, reflective thinking assists student teachers to get a deeper understanding of
the components of the educational setting and to be aware of good classroom practices
(Brindley & Scoffield, 1998; Dochy, Segers & Sluijsmans, 1999).
Furthermore, the results of the study revealed that practising peer assessment helped
the student teachers develop some good personal traits. As some respondents mentioned,
 410 A. Al-Barakat and O. Al-Hassan

this is ascribed to encouraging student teachers to take on responsibilities and giving them
a sense of ownership for their peers’ preparation. This is similar to what some researchers
have come up with in their studies (Dochy, Segers & Sluijsmans, 1999; McDowell, 1995;
Orsmond & Merry, 1996; Race, 1998).
Moreover, the findings provided us with evidence about how regular and planned prac-
tices of peer assessment helped students shape and develop positive attitudes towards peer
assessment as a learning tool. The participants reported that they enjoyed being involved in
the peer assessment tasks. They clarified that their positive attitudes towards peer assessment
were owing to its role in helping them achieve an unexpectedly high level of good perform-
ance. This is consistent with early studies (Brindley & Scoffield, 1998; Hughes & Large,
1993; Oldfield & MacAlpine, 1995; Orsmond & Merry, 1996) which found that the unique
virtues of peer assessment contributed to making students like undertaking peer assessment,
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as it increased their awareness of their work and enabled them to progress.

Despite the aforementioned benefits of peer assessment in developing pre-service teachers’
performance, a few student teachers explained that establishing friendships amongst students
during their academic study prevented them from criticising each other, and so from giving a
clear picture and a sound judgement on their friends’ classroom performances. They hesitated
to mention the weaknesses of their friends’ performances even when they were sure about
them. This could be attributed to some students’ cultural beliefs that in order to maintain good
relationships with their peers, they point out the strengths and do not mention the weaknesses.
Therefore, they assess their friends’ performances as being higher than it actually deserves.
This finding reflects that some student teachers misunderstood the purpose of peer assessment
and were unconscious of its value. This finding accords with Brindley and Scoffield (1998),
who indicated that students were reluctant to give their peers low grades even if they were con-
vinced that they deserved low grades. Similarly, Cheng and Warren’s (1997) study revealed
that students found themselves in a critical and difficult position to apply objectivity with their
friends. Thus, they tended to award their friends higher grades.
In addition, the interview findings revealed that a few student teachers think that the
assessment process is the responsibility of university supervisors. Thus, they did not trust
their peers to assess their work. According to those students, unlike university supervi-
sors, their peers did not have adequate knowledge or experience to give effective feed-
back and make sound assessment. This agrees with Orsmond and Merry (1996), who
reported that students tended to be unconvinced with their peers’ comments. Further-
more, few students said that they preferred not to take part in peer assessment tasks
because they were unable to be objective, and they think that objectivity is the most
important factor in the assessment process. Nevertheless, many student teachers sug-
gested that if those shortcomings could be overcome, then peer assessment would be
more beneficial in teacher education.

Conclusions and recommendations

Based on the findings of this study, it can be concluded that, generally, student teachers
appreciated peer assessment as a new innovation in developing teacher education. The use
of peer assessment in teacher education programs in Jordan can become an important and
valuable learning tool for improving the quality of student teachers’ preparation. It can
contribute to developing student teachers’ classroom performance, and enable them to assess
their own performance and that of their peers’. Moreover, peer assessment can be used as
a useful tool for developing student teachers’ abilities to be reflective of their own work, as it
helps them develop particular skills to analyse and evaluate teaching and learning settings.
 Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education 411

The study’s findings showed that student teachers had positive attitudes towards peer
assessment. They welcomed it to be one of the learning tools that gives trainees an oppor-
tunity to exchange and discuss opinions about their classroom performance. However, a
few student teachers pointed out some shortcomings and difficulties when using peer
assessment, such as it affecting personal relations among students, and that their lack of
knowledge and experience prevents them from giving constructive feedback and sound
judgement about their colleagues’ performance. To tackle these difficulties, we suggest
that, first, the rationale behind peer assessment and its purposes should be clearly
explained to students. They should be aware of the fact that peer assessment is a resource
for learning and developing performance, rather than grading. Second, peer assessment
should be used regularly in teacher education programs, particularly during field training,
so that student teachers become familiar with it. Third, students can be provided with cri-
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teria that help them carry out this kind of assessment. Finally, much care should be given
to the atmosphere in which the assessment process takes place, as it should be character-
ised by security, empathy, support and encouragement.
In light of the findings of the study, we recommend that teacher education programs in
Jordanian universities should use peer assessment as a learning tool because it makes student
teachers more involved in their training. It enables them to be active learners rather than
passive recipients, and it provides them with opportunities to reflect on their own perform-
ance and that of their peers’. Finally, we recommend that further research should be con-
ducted to investigate the use and the effectiveness of peer assessment as a learning tool for
improving in-service teachers’ performance.

Notes on contributors
Dr Ali A. Al-Barakat is an Associate Professor in Curricula and Instruction/Early Childhood and
Elementary Education at Yarmouk University, Irbid, Jordan. His research interests include teaching
and learning, curriculum design and learning environment.
Dr Omayya M. Al-Hassan is an Assistant Professor in Education and Communication/Early Childhood
Education in the Hashemite University, Zarqa, Jordan. Her research interests include teacher educa-
tion, teacher thinking and early childhood education.

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Appendix 1. Observation schedule

The observation schedule includes a set of guidelines to prompt student teachers to discuss their
peers’ performance. It guided them to comment on performance effectiveness with respect to
various issues. Some of these can be summarised as follows:

1. Planning for teaching and learning settings

2. The way in which learning experiences are developed in young children
3. The way in which young children’s learning and progress are identified
4. The role of the student teacher in the learning environment
5. The role of the children in the learning environment
6. Student teachers’ procedures for developing young children’s thinking skills
7. Designing teaching and learning activities
8. Variation in instructional strategies
9. Features of effective classroom interaction and management.

At the end of discussion, the researchers would give each group member the opportunity to say
what they would like about her/his peer’s performance. All opinions were respected and appreciated.

Appendix 2. Interview schedule

1. Do you think that your participation in the training on peer assessment contributed to prepar-
ing you to be an effective teacher? If yes, how? If no, why?
2. Did you take part effectively in peer assessment tasks? If yes, how? Could you give me some
effective features of your participation?
3. Do you think that peer assessment contributed to enhancing your classroom performance?
How?
4. Does peer assessment help you to be an assessor? How? Could you give examples?
5. Do you think that your participation in peer assessment was useful? If yes, how? Could you
give me an example? If no, why?
6. After this new experience in practising peer assessment, what are your suggestions regard-
ing including peer assessment in teacher education programs?