Peer group effects on the academic performance of Italian students

Paola, Maria De; Scoppa, Vincenzo

doi:10.1080/00036840701765478

Cited by 40 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…Giuliodori et al (2009) found that students with incorrect responses switched their answers more often than students with correct responses, implying that group feedback helped students learn, particularly in the case of those with inadequate performance. This is in line with evidence of strong peer effects, where students benefit more from being grouped with stronger peers (De Paola and Scoppa, 2010). Meseke et al (2009) controlled for differences in study habits and also found positive effects for collaborative testing.…”

Section: The Promise Of Two-stage Examinationssupporting

confidence: 83%

Two-Stage Examinations: Can Examinations Be More Formative Experiences?

Levy

Klinger²,

Svoronos

2018

SSRN Journal

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Two-stage examinations consist of a first stage in which students work individually as they typically do in examinations (stage 1), followed by a second stage in which they work in groups to complete another examination (stage 2), which typically consists of a subset of the questions from the first examination. Data from two-stage midterm and final examinations are used to assess the extent to which individuals improve their performance when collaborating with other students. On average, the group (stage 2) score was about one standard deviation above the individual (stage 1) score. While this difference cannot be interpreted as the causal effect of two-stage examinations on learning, it suggests that individuals experienced substantial performance gains when working in groups in an examination. This average performance gain was comparable with the average difference between the top performer of the group in stage 1 and the group's stage 1 average, and was equivalent to about two-thirds of the difference between the "super student" score (i.e. the sum of the maximum score for each question in stage 1) and the group's stage 1 average. This last result suggests that group collaboration takes substantial (albeit partial) advantage of the aggregate knowledge and skills of the group's individual members. Student feedback about their experience with two-stage examinations reveal that that these types of examinations are generally perceived to be more helpful for learning and are less stressful than traditional examinations. Finally, using data on group gender compositions, we investigate the potential role of gender dynamics on group efficiency.

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Section: The Promise Of Two-stage Examinationssupporting

confidence: 83%

Two-Stage Examinations: Can Examinations Be More Formative Experiences?

Levy

Klinger²,

Svoronos

2018

SSRN Journal

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“…(), Ost (), for Italy by De Giorgi et al . (), De Paola and Scoppa () and Brunello et al . (), for China by Ding and Lehrer () and for South Korea by Kang ().…”

mentioning

confidence: 93%

Peer Group and Distance: When Widening University Participation is Better

Cesi

Paolini

2013

The Manchester School

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We study the effect of a new university in a two-city model in which individuals' utility depends on own ability, peer group ability, formal education and mobility costs. We compare a monopoly (one university in one city) with a two-university system (one university in each city). Introducing the second university improves welfare when the fixed cost of each university is low. With two universities, we obtain a symmetric equilibrium for every mobility cost and asymmetric equilibria for low mobility costs. The symmetric system induces the highest welfare and is also Strong Nash (for high mobility costs).

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“…During the interviews, nearly all students said that peers had been essential in negotiating discourse, understanding expectations, and improving their work. Findings highlighting the key role of peers in developing the necessary competencies, knowledge and attitudes to engage in a variety of discursive episodes seem consistent with the literature that stresses the importance of dialogue and interactions with peers in learning contexts (Androushchak et al, 2013;Bruner, 1978;Carrell et al, 2009;De Paola & Scoppa, 2010;Epple & Romano, 2010;Moore et al, 2016;Orsmond et al, 2101;Seloni, 2012;Swain, 2001;Vygostky, 1978;Wood et al, 1976;Zappa-Hollman, 2007).…”

supporting

confidence: 79%

“…In a recent literature review, Epple & Romano (2010) concluded that the evidence in different studies left little doubt as to the effect of peers both within and outside the classroom. Furthermore, there is increasing evidence of positive peer effects in student achievement in higher education (Androushchak et al, 2013;Carrell et al, 2009;De Paola & Scoppa, 2010;Moore et al, 2016).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Feedback in Masters Courses and the Development of International Students’ Academic Literacy

Solano¹,

Bernado²

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Despite numerous studies on feedback and academic literacy, few have focused on the experience of international students on postgraduate taught courses, particularly in terms of how feedback contributes to the development of their literacy practices in UK universities. This study contributes to the discussion on what academic literacy is, and the role of tutor feedback in its development. The design includes surveys, semi-structured interviews, feedback samples and course documents, to explore the experiences of students and teaching staff in various disciplines in two British universities. The research reveals core elements of academic literacy and useful insights into their multiple interpretations, underlining how disciplinary variation, student and staff diversity can influence its conceptualisation and practice. Results point to the potential of dialogic feedback to develop academic literacy while also identifying other practices that contribute to its development. One key finding is that, besides the characteristics of feedback itself, personal and institutional factors such as length, structure and interdisciplinary nature of programmes can limit the role of feedback in academic literacy development. The research concludes that pedagogical practices such as assessment and feedback cannot be separated from either the individuals or the pedagogical spaces in which they occur, so their impact can be enhanced or constrained by such spaces and the people inhabiting them. Further research needs to explore the effect of specific personal and institutional factors on feedback practices and academic literacy development. Given the importance of feedback and evidence of student dissatisfaction revealed by the findings, institutions should implement systematic approaches to measure its effectiveness. A key recommendation is for institutions to encourage and maintain meaningful dialogue with students at different levels from programme design to course evaluation. There is also a need for tutors to adopt a more open and inclusive disposition to academic literacy, reducing their reliance on written assessment and being more accepting of international students' native literacy practices.

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Peer group effects on the academic performance of Italian students

Cited by 40 publications

References 26 publications

Two-Stage Examinations: Can Examinations Be More Formative Experiences?

Two-Stage Examinations: Can Examinations Be More Formative Experiences?

Peer Group and Distance: When Widening University Participation is Better

Feedback in Masters Courses and the Development of International Students’ Academic Literacy

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