Exploring the Impact of Peer Assessment on Speaking Accuracy Through Padlet

Abstract

Teaching English as a foreign language (EFL), with a special focus on speaking skills, faces some challenges that may affect students' ability to communicate accurately. These challenges may include a lack of exposure to authentic language or a lack of activities where students can use the target language. The problem was observed among ninth-grade students in a public school in Paute, Azuay province. Speaking is a skill that requires exchanging ideas and conveying information. For students, they need to use language to communicate in the real world (Saputra, 2015). Speaking accuracy is defined as the ability to speak with minimal errors. According to Firman (2012), speaking accuracy lies in acceptable pronunciation, correct grammar, and appropriate word choice. Therefore, there is a need to improve this target capability. This project aims to improve students’ speaking accuracy by integrating peer assessment facilitated by Padlet. Additionally, peer assessment provides opportunities for improvement. The aim is to create an environment that promotes language use and supports the continued development of speaking skills. Peer assessment has been proven to help learners identify areas where their speaking performance can be improved. Additionally, peer assessment involves students providing feedback and/or ratings of products or achievements to their peers. The assessment is based on predetermined standards that students may have established along the way (Yin et al., 2022). In order to mitigate the challenges identified, the project proposes using real-life situations and stories in language learning. These strategies enable students to apply what they learn in the classroom to actual situations in the world. The project helped ninth-grade students in Paute, Azuay improve their speaking skills by giving them real-life language practice, chances to talk, using Padlet for peer assessment, and mixing in different materials.