The Impact of Online Peer Assessment on Academic Performance in Higher Education: A Meta-Analytic Review

Kübra Karakaya Özyer, Eskişehir Osmangazi University

https://doi.org/10.9743/JEO.2025.22.3.11

Abstract

This meta-analytic study investigates the impact of online peer assessment on academic achievement in higher education. By synthesizing 20 effect sizes, we provide a comprehensive understanding of how online peer assessment influences student learning outcomes. The findings reveal a statistically significant positive effect (Hedges’s g = 0.672), indicating that students engaged in online peer assessment demonstrate higher academic achievement compared to those in control conditions. Subgroup analyses explored the potential effects of rater training. Studies incorporating rater training showed a significantly larger effect size (g = 0.875) compared to those without training (g = 0.281). While the effect size for anonymous peer assessment (g = 1.449) was larger than for nonanonymous assessment (g = 0.623), this difference was not statistically significant. Our results underscore the efficacy of online peer assessment in enhancing academic achievement and highlight the importance of rater training. Future research should focus on exploring additional moderators.

Keywords: online peer assessment, academic achievement, higher education, meta-analysis, rater training, anonymity