Investigating foundation year students’ perceptions of peer feedback as part of formative peer assessment on written drafts

This paper explores the perceptions of foundation year students from different educational backgrounds regarding peer feedback and suggests practical ways to increase its engagement and effectiveness in higher education. A survey in Oxford Brookes Business School, Oxford Brookes University, U.K. examined the general perceptions, challenges, and benefits for the reviewer and reviewee, and the preferred feedback methods. The respondents – international and home students in the foundation year of their business degrees studying business fundamentals and academic skills modules – were mostly positive about peer feedback, highlighting main benefits such as generating ideas, reflecting on their work, and improving structure. Reported challenges included lack of confidence and trust. Students preferred oral feedback, supported by assessment criteria and examples. Key implications include recognizing and considering students’ prior experience and views, involving them actively in the planning process, and embedding sustainable learning practices to support future learning and employability. This article was published open access under a CC BY licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ .