A Theoretical Framework for Integrating Peer Assessment in Teacher Education

Abstract

Peer assessment can be a valuable learning tool in teacher education, because it supports student teachers to acquire skills that are essential in their professional working life. In this article a theoretical framework is presented in which the training of peer assessment skills by means of peer assessment tasks is integrated in teacher education courses. Theories about constructive alignment, student involvement, instructional design, and performance assessment underlie the framework. Furthermore, an overview of three empirical studies is provided to illustrate the implementation of the framework in a teacher training context. Results show that the framework offers powerful guidelines for the design and integration of peer assessment activities in teacher training courses. In general, the peer assessment tasks that were embedded in the courses lead to a general improvement in students’ peer assessment skills as well as their task performance in the domain of the course. Implications for course and curriculum design are discussed.