High School Students’ Perceptions Towards Peer Assessment in the Digital Response to the Biography (DRB) Project

siti zulaiha, ph.d, prof. herri mulyono, ph.d;

This study aimed to explore high school students’ perceptions towards peer
assessment within the Digital Response to the Biography (DRB) project, focusing
on its impact on writing skills. Two research questions guided the investigation:
1) How do students perceive peer assessment in the Digital Response to the
Biography (DRB) project? 2) What challenges do students face during peer
assessment? Employing a mixed-method approach, the study found a positive
attitude towards peer assessment, with students favoring it over teacher
assessments due to the opportunity to learn from peers’ mistakes and improve
their writing skills. The mean score of 2.77 reflected a preference for peer
assessment, supported by Manal (2021), who noted its advantages in improving
writing skills and fostering responsibility. Qualitative analysis revealed that peer
assessment was perceived as beneficial for identifying errors and improving
teamwork. However, challenges included reluctance to provide feedback due to
fear of offending peers, aligning with Hyland's (2003) observation of potential
negative interactions. Statistical analysis using JAMOVI showed no significant
connection between students’ perceptions and the perceived advantages and
disadvantages of peer assessment, with P-values of 0.715 and 0.228. Overall,
students reported issues like insecurity and difficulty in expressing ideas,
highlighting the complexity of peer assessment dynamics.