On the Legitimacy of Cooperative Assessment: Examining EFL Learners’ Rating Accuracy in Assessing Cooperative Reading

Cooperative learning has attracted ever-increasing research literature on language studies, among which EFL reading instruction abounds with numerous examples in favor of cooperative learning. However, there is a common belief that if cooperative learning were not assessed, students would be unlikely to take it seriously. Therefore, the main objective of this study was to examine EFL learners’ accuracy in assessing cooperative reading. To this end, 60 sophomores majoring in English translation at Islamic Azad University, Tehran Central Branch, participated in this study. Data were collected in the course of 15 weeks. Each week, first, the participants cooperatively read an expository passage in 15 four-member groups in class. Then, each participant was asked to carry out an individual reading assignment at home. For the cooperative reading assessment, both the group performance and the individual homework assignment of each participant was weekly self-, peer-, and instructor-assessed. The results demonstrated the participants’ reasonable accuracy in assessing cooperative reading. Furthermore, the qualitative findings obtained from a semi-structured focus group interview showed that the participants perceived cooperative reading assessment positively. The study may produce credible evidence for using cooperative assessment as a reasonably honest approach to evaluate EFL learners’ reading performance.