TITLE:
Investigating the Reliability and Validity of Self and Peer Assessment to Measure Medical Students’ Professional Competencies
AUTHORS:
Tyrone Donnon, Joann McIlwrick, Wayne Woloschuk
KEYWORDS:
Self Assessment; Peer Assessment; Multisource Feedback; Medical Students
JOURNAL NAME:
Creative Education,
Vol.4 No.6A,
June
13,
2013
ABSTRACT: The use of peer
assessment through a multisource feedback process has gained recognition as a
reliable and valid method to assess the characteristics of professionals and
trainees. A total of 168 first-year medical students
completed a 15-item questionnaire to self-assess their
professional work habits and interpersonal
abilities. Each student was expected to identify 8 first-year classmates to complete a corresponding 15-item peer assessment. Although the self and peer assessment
questionnaires had strong reliability (Cronbach’s
α = 0.85 and 0.91, respectively), an exploratory factor analysis resulted in a
3- and 2- factor solution,
respectively. The third factor was associated with items related to students’ personal attributes. Significantly
lower mean score differences for the self-report assessment were found for all
15 items (Cohen’s d = 0.27 to 1.39, p gards to the construct validity and stability of measures between self
and peer assessment measures. The need for self-awareness of students’
strengths and limitations, however, is recommended as part of their development
in a profession that emphasizes self-regulation.