EXPLORING PEER-ASSESSMENT PRACTICE IN GRADUATE STUDENTS ACADEMIC WRITING

This study aims to explore the practice of peer-assessment in academic writing.The current researchers find it urgent to investigate academic writing because ithas rigid rules that can sharpen writers' critical thinking. The products ofacademic writing need to be assessed. Peer-assessment is one of alternatives usedto assess students learning outcomes and monitor students progress in the class.This research is a case study. Data were collected from the first semester students,who joined an academic writing class, of the graduate program of a university inSurakarta. The findings show that peer assessment practice can be effective as oneof the assessment tools to measure students' writing in the academic writing class

GRADUATE STUDENTS’ VOICES TOWARD PEER ASSESSMENT IN ACADEMIC WRITING CLASS

Peer assessment is the alternative assessment used by a teacher/ lecturer in assessing process and product in English language teaching and learning. The practice of peer assessment in higher education fosters graduate students more actively in the assessment process. This article aimed to explore graduate students' perceptions of the practice of peer assessment in an academic writing class conducted in the first semester of the English department graduate program at a University in Surakarta. This research was a case study, and the sampling technique in this research was purposive sampling, where 24 graduate students in academic writing class participated. A focused interview was conducted to explore graduate students' views on the practice of peer assessment for academic writing, which covered the feeling and challenges during peer assessment activity. The data were analyzed through the stages of examining, categorizing, tabulating, and recombining data. This study's result reveal that the peer assessment practice in academic writing class helps graduate students find the weaknesses in their writing that the they could not see by themselves. Feedback from peers during peer assessment practice completed the understanding of things the graduate students needed for revision. This research is expected to contribute to educational development by encouraging English writing lecturers' awareness to optimize peer assessment practice for assessing students writing.Keywords: peer-assessment, scientific writing, students’ perception

Fostering Autonomous Learning Through Peer Feedback

Peer assessment appeared in social constructionism theory since peer assessment activity involves the joint construction of knowledge through discourse. This study focuses on one product that arises from peer-assessment activity: feedback from peers. Besides, this study linked peer feedback from the peer-assessment activity and learners' autonomy in language learning. Autonomous learning is regarded as a desirable goal in an educational context. In exploring this issue, the study used the case study method. The first-semester students in an academic writing class in the English language teaching department at a university in Indonesia are the participants in this study. The researchers qualitatively analyze students' feedback from the peer-assessment process and conduct follow-up interviews to answer how peer feedback from peer-assessment activity fosters students' autonomous learning. The results show that peer assessment could engage the students with their peers in giving and receiving feedback. Furthermore, giving feedback to peers requires students to have prior and new knowledge that must be studied independently. In responding to peer feedback, the students believe that peer feedback is essential in fostering their autonomy. Educational practitioners may use this assessment for junior to higher education students to activate their autonomous learning