Assessing students' ability to self-assess : its relationship with measures of personal academic control and self-efficacy

Studies examining factors underlying academic performance have reliablyestablished the significant involvement of psychological factors or individualdifferences (Cassidy & Eachus, 2000 & 2002). Psychological factors such asacademic self-efficacy and academic locus of control, which are distinct fromintellectual ability (Crozier, 1997), have been associated with academic achievement(Cassidy & Eachus, 2000). In addition, Cassidy & Eachus also demonstrated a linkbetween students’ judgements regarding their level of academic proficiency (asmeasured on a generic academic proficiency scale) in a specified topic and modulemark. These findings pose an interesting and pertinent question, the answer towhich could provide a useful aid to teaching and assessment in higher education: arestudents able to accurately estimate their assessment marks by subjectively judgingthe standard of their work?The modular system along with an economic squeeze have caused a generalreduction in the amount of feedback students in higher education receive fromacademic staff relating to their academic work. There is less small group and tutorialwork and often a total absence of assessed formative work. Clearly the result of thisis less opportunity for students to reflect on and address problems within their workbefore attempting summative assessments. The effect of this (if any) is not knownbut it is fair to suggest that students’ inability to judge the academic standard of theirwork is affecting the success rate and standard of summative assessment andimpacting on students perceptions of personal self- efficacy and academic control.The project aims to develop a study which assesses students’ ability to self-assessand to examine the relationship between this and perceptions of personal academiccontrol. Such a study would provide a valuable educational insight, which is likely toinform and guide teaching, assessment and learning strategy in higher education