PERCEPTIONS OF STUDENTS TOWARDS THE INFLUENCE OF PEER ASSESSMENT ON THEIR COMMUNICATION AND CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS

Abstract

The study aimed to investigate students’ perception towards the use of peer assessment to improve their employability skills, especially communication and critical thinking skills. To achieve this objective, a survey was conducted with the participation of 226 students at a university in Hanoi, Vietnam. They were taking the course named “Skills for University Success”, in which it was required that students made presentations and gave feedback to other groups’ performances. The analyzed data showed that students highly valued the benefits of giving and receiving peer assessment. In terms of communication skills, the majority of students agreed that through this activity, they could learn and improve their ability to convey the ideas, listen to others, and create a friendly atmosphere while giving comments. Regarding critical thinking skills, peer assessment helped students identify strengths and weaknesses of peers’ performances more quickly and correctly. The study suggested that lecturers or curriculum organizers should consider making this activity compulsory in their courses so that students can boost their employability skills.