Peer Assessment in Small Groups: A Comparison of Methods

This article describes and evaluates several peer evaluation tools used to assess student behavior in small groups. The two most common methods of peer assessment found in the literature are rating scales and single score methods. Three peer evaluation instruments, two using a rating scale and one using a single score method, are tested in several management courses to examine their effectiveness. All three instruments demonstrate acceptable levels of reliability and are found to be correlated with individual performance measures. The article concludes with a discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of each instrument.