The Influence of Formative Peer- Assessment to Develop Speaking Fluency for 7th grade EFL Students

Peer-assessment can generate a high proficiency in terms of oral communication, coherence, and organization of oral message. Overall, it was showed as another positive aspect that during and after the application of the innovation, students developed other skills such as critical thinking, reasoning as well as self-confidence, showed before, during and after the performance of the project as well as displayed among different activities from the subject inside and outside the classroom. This research study found out as an objective that speaking is one of the most difficult skills to develop when learning a new foreign and second language, as well as identify how peer assessment can influence the students’ speaking performances. This research study also found out that feeling comfortable during speaking skills acquisition in a new language is quite strange. This is because students feel anxious and demotivated, so it takes substantial practice to master it. Thus, this methodology was applied with the aim to observe that students felt confidence in their performances because their classmates were the assessors rather than the teacher. This aligns with the theory reviewed in the literature part section of this research study emphasizes the benefits of peer assessment on speaking because facilitates continuous learning throughout life. In addition, this study involved interesting experiences for students. Likewise, peer assessment achieved integrity, tolerance and respect between pupils, displaying an active participation in their learning process to provide positive comments addresses to their peers’ performance including. This research study also provided the real fact that the participation from students was very important because it contributed to the students’ speaking improvement during this innovation. Similarly, and after the application of the problem, the implementation of peer-assessment in combination with a checklist and rubric displayed to be useful techniques to improve oral skills among students as well as develop their confidence to speak in another language inside and outside the classroom. Furthermore, pretest and posttest evidence using the rubric during this study revealed that students speaking performances grades improved using these techniques. This reflects the real fact that the teacher’s goal is not only to improve students’ grades but make them understand and use the language properly. To summarize, the application of this study was part of students’ speaking and personal development from the beginning until the end of the implementation of the innovation. It was found out that the students experienced the benefits of peer assessment as well as overcame the difficulties and problems identified before and the results. Although they expressed lack of confidence and a stressful class environment during the first practices, peer assessment reflected in a strategy to encourage self-assessment, with a positive effect on students’ development showed that at the end of the research study, they felt more confident in their performances.

• Main Author: Quimí Mora, Samuel Eduardo (author)
• Format: masterThesis
• Language: eng
• Published: 2023
• Online Access: http://dspace.casagrande.edu.ec:8080/handle/ucasagrande/4583