Improving Writing Skills through Peer Assessment

Abstract

The study aims at finding out the impact of peer assessment to improve EFL learners’ writing skills. This paper highlights the practical use of peer assessment and the significant challenges that need to be considered when applying it in the classroom. This action research used a mixed-method design to collect quantitative and qualitative data. It was conducted for five weeks on twenty-five students from a public high school in El Oro Province. The instruments applied were: a pre and post-test, a checklist, a pre and post-survey, and a semistructured interview. The results showed an increase in the mean between the pre-test and the post-test of 4.72 with a medium effect size (0.362). The findings revealed that peer assessment improved students’ writing performance. Likewise, they developed wellstructured sentences, organized ideas appropriately, reduced word repetition, and had fewer mistakes in grammar and mechanics. They also became responsible for assessing their friend’s tasks, which increased their positive perspectives towards peer assessment. Finally, the implications of using peer assessment in the classroom are significant as well as beneficial for EFL teachers and researchers who want to enhance the writing skills of their students.