Web-Based Peer Assessment: Does Attitude Influence Achievement?

The specific features of the Web-based peer assessment are to utilize Internet resources to facilitate contacts between individuals and information, to assist in brainstorming among individuals, and to generate more meaningful learning at the higher education level. In this research, authors focus predominantly on attitudes of computer science students toward Web-based peer assessment using NetPeas as the interactive channel and management center. NetPeas is a Web-based peer assessment system implemented for two-way anonymous peer assessment. In an evaluation held in 1999 spring, this study recruited a sample of 58 computer science undergraduate students enrolled in an operating systems class in a research university of Taiwan. Attitudes toward Web-based peer assessment were measured by a post test questionnaire, including several affective components, for example, "satisfied" or "unsatisfied" about the Web-based peer assessment. The result demonstrated that significantly more students favored this new learning strategy and students with positive attitude outperformed those with negative attitude. No matter positive attitude toward Web-based peer assessment brings about higher achievement or higher achievement promotes positive attitude, teachers must take care of students' subjective feelings in enhancing effective Web-based peer assessment.