Peer evaluation: 'I am not the teacher'

Abstract

This article is based on an exploratory investigation of a secondary school writing class in Hong Kong. Through examination of the way learners in this study viewed the roles of the teacher and learner as ‘readers’ of the compositions they had written, it explores the extent to which the broader educational context and its belief system shaped six ESL students' perception of peer evaluation. Finally, the article questions whether notions of collaborative construction of knowledge in the classroom are viable options within an examination-driven, accuracy-oriented L2 curriculum which may preclude learners (and teachers) from re-conceptualizing their traditional roles.