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PROCEEDING OF 3 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON RESEARCH,
IMPLEMENTATION AND EDUCATION OF MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE
YOGYAKARTA, 16 – 17 MAY 2016
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Online Peer-Assessment in Teaching Physics in English
Class for Improving Pre-Service Physics Teachers
Learning
Khusaini
Jurusan Fisika, Universitas Negeri Malang (UM)
Khusaini.fmipa@um.ac.id
Abstract—this research investigated the effect of online peer-assessment in a
Teaching Physics in English class conducted in Physics department Universitas
Negeri Malang. Peer-assessment has been applied in several studies, but it has not
been applied in foreign language class in Pre-service Physics teacher class particularly
in Indonesia context. This research mixed online assessment and peer-assessment
during the teaching and learning process in a Teaching Physics in English class. The
participants in this study were 20 pre-service physics teachers learning how to deliver
Physics in English. This online peer assessment employed WhatsApp as a social
media application based on android smartphone allowing real time assessment during
teaching and learning process. In the gathering data process, Observation and
questionnaire had been employed to describe the situation during this research. This
research found that online peer-assessment using WhatsApp group helped students to
improve their English skills. This assessment also improved their peer-performance
during teaching and learning process. However, it is important to prevent several
disadvantages of online peer-assessment in its application such as the time limitation
and internet access.
Keywords Online, Peer-assessment, Pre-service Physic Teachers
I.
INTRODUCTION
Learning English as a foreign language is a challenging. This study reveals that pre-service physics
teachers learning how to teach Physics in English also meet the challenges during their learning. Several
pre-service Physics teachers felt that their English skills was bad and they had no confident to speak in
English.
The researcher found that 20 pre-service Physics teachers in the class have a high motivation to learn
English. Most of them took 20s credit in that semester. Most of them also took another English class,
which is English for Physics teacher.
They had several reasons to learn English. Most of them have motivation to compete in ASEAN
Economic Society. They also want to pursue their study abroad. They also want to open their opportunity
to collaborate with other Physics from around the world.
This class is their first class using full English as an instruction language. The students have various
English background but they have same background that is hardly communicate actively in English.
Therefore, they tend to communicate in Bahasa or Javanese rather than English unless they already
understand the grammar and English vocabularies.
This situation motivates the researcher to conduct this research. This research just focuses on the use
of assessment to improve students’ learning in teaching Physics in English class. The study also wanted to
encourage students to learn actively in the class.
II.
ONLINE PEER-ASSESSMENT AND ITS ROLE IN PRE-SERVICE PHYSICS TEACHER CLASS
Assessment generally can be grouped as Formative and summative. Peer-assessment conducted in this
study is sort of formative assessment. This formative assessment has a function to improve the quality of
learning and students’ experiences during teaching and learning. This study encouraged the students to be
involved actively during assessment process. The involvement of students in a sort of new forms of
assessment may improve students’ learning in terms of their responsibility and more reflective [1].
Peer-assessment is a new form of assessment. This assessment involves the students’ participation
during assessment process. The involvement of the students actively during teaching and learning process
particularly on assessment process benefits to the students’ improvement. Topping [2] found that peerPE - 37
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assessment gave positive effects on students’ achievement and attitude as good as effect of lecturer
assessment.
Online peer-assessment is a kind of assessment assisted by the advance of Information and
Communication Technology (ICT). The use of ICT in the class may reveal positive effect in students’
learning. Wenna and Tsai [3] found that the use of online peer-assessment could improve the project and
feedback quality of in-service science and mathematics teachers. However, they also found that there was
the decrease of teachers’ attitude toward online peer-assessment after the period of its application.
The main component of online peer-assessment is how to keep high quality feedback. The feedback
enhances the quality of peer-assessment to improve students’ learning. Liu and Charles [4] argue that
high quality feedback should be kept to encourage students’ provide feedback objectively. They found
that grader may influence the quality of feedback. Therefore, this research just gave the students to assess
their peer performance and gave comment on each online peer assessment.
This study investigates the application of online peer-assessment in a Teaching Physics in English
class. This study is a preliminary study to the deeper research regarding the use of ICT in peerassessment. This study may describe the benefits and the weaknesses of online peer-assessment. The
author or Physics educators may benefit to consider the use of online peer assessment in different Physics
classes.
III.
METHODS AND DESIGN
This research employed qualitative approach during the data collection. The advantages of qualitative
research are the number of participant, the deep description of the findings, and high quality data
provided by the research.
The author is the lecturer in the Teaching Physics in English class at Physics department Universitas
Negeri Malang. Therefore, the researcher knows the real situation and students’ background involved in
this research. The researcher also analysed the pre research situation before the application online peerassessment. In this study, the author conducted research alone.
Methods employed in this research were observation, questionnaire and interview. The researcher
observed the students’ activities during the class particularly before and after the application online peer
assessment. Field note was written to describe the real condition in the class. Furthermore, the lecturer
also use online questionnaire to gather students’ opinion during and after the implementation of online
peer-assessment. This questionnaire was made on open ended form to gather various views of the
students. Moreover, interview was conducted to collect direct and spotaneous data from the participants.
20 pre-service physics teachers, which are the students at Physics department Universitas Negeri
Malang, have been selected in this study. They are the 3rd year student in pre-service Physics teacher
program. They took the course as an elective course to enrich their teaching and learning schools before
conducting research and teaching experiences in the real schools. The course could be said as the last
course class to prepare students in their future teaching and learning life.
WhatsApp has been chosen to be studied in this study because the vast majority of pre-service Physics
teachers studying in Physics department Universitas negeri Malang use this application in their daily
activities. They also tend to communicate with their lectures particularly the author with this android
program. The Physics department Universitas Negeri Malang also communicates the new information and
policies through WhatsApp. Before the research has been conducted, the class leader invited the
researcher to join the class group discussion on WhatApps. The advantages of the program are the
capability to communicate in limited internet connection, the easy access, and the opportunity to display
the students’ peer-assessment to their friends.
A rubric for online peer-assessment has been provided by discussing the whole Teaching Physics in
English lecturers. This discussion enriches the final rubric and can be used in different class. The rubric
was designed in a simple way to help the students to learn and use. The rubric can be seen in Table 1
below.
The rubric was introduced to the students before the use. They could ask and discuss how to use the
rubric. The research also introduced how to assess their peer-presentation. The students just need to post
with provided format. The format is just typing the presenter’s name, the assessor’s name, categories
values, and their comment. The example of the format is Oci #Sandy# Good# Fair # Less# Ochi can
explain correctly, but she has fair communication skills, and less interaction with audiences. The students
just need to post their marking in WhatsApp class group.
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PROCEEDING OF 3 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON RESEARCH,
IMPLEMENTATION AND EDUCATION OF MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE
YOGYAKARTA, 16 – 17 MAY 2016
TABLE 1 RUBRIC FOR PRESENTATION ON TEACHING PHYSICS IN ENGLISH
Criteria
Content (30%)
Communication Clarity
(30%)
Interaction with the
audience (40%)
Less
 Less comprehensive
or
 having misconception
 Unclear Pronounciation and
intonation
 Using less appropriate word
choices
 Less keeping eye contact
 Less encouraging audience
participation






Fair
Quite comprehensive
and
no misconception
Quite good Pronounciation
and intonation
Using several appropriate
word choices
Several keeping eye contact
Several encouraging audience
participation
Good
 Comprehensive
and
 No Misconception
 Quite good Pronounciation and
intonation
 Using several appropriate word
choices
 Most keeping eye contact
 Most encouraging audience
participation
The whole students could see the result of online peer-assessment. The example of students’ peer
assessment can be seen in Figure 1.
FIGURE 1 STUDENTS’ ONLINE PEER-ASSESSMENT
IV.
FINDINGS
During the teaching and learning in the class, questionnaire has been administered to gather
participants’ opinion for online peer-assessment. Three questions have been asked to the students. The
questions are listed below.
Does online peer-assessment help you to learn from your friends?
Are you interested in peer assessment to be implemented in the course?
What do you think about your friends' comment?
Participant responds can be seen on Table 2 below.
TABLE 2. STUDENTS RESPONDS REGARDING THE APPLICATION OF ONLINE PEER-ASSESSMENT
NO
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Students’ Responds
Yes. Yes. I think the comment has subjectivity aspect I mean laziness n sleepiness influence the comment
Yes. Interested. It is so helpful.
Yes i do. Because there are is one sample for assessment. 3. They comment to build and adding experience
Yes, because from this assessment we can know what our weakness. Yes, because from this assessment we can know our
weakness.
Yes I do, peer assessment have trained our skill to assess friends. The friends comment is good for our improvements and I think
a several friends comment with the funniest statement. I like that.
es, I'm interested in peer assessment to be implemented in this course. I think about my friend's comment is most of objective
and should be honest so we can learn from our comment and we can improve our skill about English,
Yes. Because this peer assessment improve my skill although I feel under pressure before TPE class because my English skill is
bad
1. Yes, 2. I'm interested in peer assessment to be implemented in this course. 3. i think about my friend's comment is most of
subjective and should be honest so we can learn from our comment and we can improve our skill about English.
Yes. Many suggest from friends can build my spirit and improve my skill
es. ecause, from the comments of my friends I hope i can do more better next time
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12
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15
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Yes, I do. Yes, very interested. I think it so fun, because we can to know learn as a commentator , so it can build adding in our
experience, and we can more improve our skill again
Yes, because it can give me a motivation to improve my skill.
Yes. Because, by assessing my friends, directly I must attentive and understand what's my friends' explain.
Yes, because I can get feedback directly
es sir, i think about my friends comment can improve my skill and do be better before
Yes, I do, sir. by assess friends, it make us: understand the content, know where we must improve for next our performance.. it
will be better continue this way, sir..
The study found that students have many different marking scores only on the first online peerassessment. Only two students had similar marking score with the lecturer. After the lecturer gave
feedback for marking score and the student’s performance, there were improvements of the similar
perception between the students and the lecturer in terms on marking score for student’s performance.
Students’ performance has improved on assessment skills, English skills and presentation skills during
online peer-assessment. The students participated on the study had more intention during the application
of online peer-assessment. They also tried to use the rubric to assess their peer performance. Compared to
the situation before the application of online peer-assessment, the students felt sleepy and lazy because
the class was held from 03.00 pm to 5.30 pm. It means that the students already felt tired because of other
classes and activities. The students, who are both presenter and assessor, received and thought about the
assessed performance based on peer-feedbacks and lecture’s feedback. It can be concluded that the whole
class would learn each other. The results of this learning situation can be seen from the improvement of
the students’ performance during presentation assignment.
V. DISCUSSION
Based on the research findings, there are several factors need to be consider before the use of online
peer-assessment. First, the lecturer should introduce the rubric and its use during assessment process. The
rubric has several advantages i.e. improving student’s performance during assessment and doing the
assignment. Second, the lecturer should provide feedback during teaching and learning process. The
feedback will improve and enhance students’ skills and improve the learning process. Third, the lecturer
should help the students to learn how to analyse and assess their peer-performance. It is important to learn
how to assess other performance particularly for common performance. The students tend to assess
differently when the performance of their friends was in common performance. The lecturer should also
train the students to assess objectively without friendship consideration. The fourth, the lecturer should
consider the internet connection and students’ familiarity with the particular software. These factors may
influence the success of the research on online peer-assessment.
VI. CONCLUSION
It can be concluded that online peer-assessment has several benefits. Students could enhance their
learning process in the Teaching Physics in English class. Students can improve their English skills and
presentation skills using provided feedbacks. Furthermore, students marking score had nearly similar
score the lecturer’s assessment. The preparation about rubric and internet connection should be
considered before applying online peer-assessment. Feedback should be kept objectively to enhance
students’ learning process.
REFERENCES
[1]
[2]
[3]
[4]
Dochy,F. Segers,M. Sluijsmans, D “The use of Self-,peer, and Co-Assessment in HIgher Education: a Review” in Studies in
Higher Education vol. 24 no. 3 pp. 331-350, 1999
Topping, Keith “Peer Assessment between students in Colleges and Universities” in Review of Educational research vol.68
no.3, pp. 249-276 , 1999
Meichun Lydia Wena and Chin-Chung Tsaib “Online peer assessment in an inservice science and mathematics teacher
education course” in Teaching in Higher Education vol.13 no.1 pp. 55-67, 2008.
Liu, Ngar-Fun& Carless, David “Peer feedback: the learning element of peer assessment” in Teaching in Higher education vol.
11 no. 3 pp. 279-290, 2006.
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