Thinking Beyond Writing Development in Peer Review

The benefits of a peer review process tend to be evaluated in terms of improvements to students’ writing. But are there reasons why instructors might want to implement peer review into their courses over and above writing development? In this study, we collected data from 30 university students on their perceptions of a peer review process. Although we found little revision of student work from draft to final paper, we were surprised to learn that students found the process useful. We found that the peer review process helped students develop non-cognitive skills. In particular, it helped them to develop (a) self-discipline, which helped with their time management, and (b) resilience in overcoming anxiety, which helped them to integrate in a social network.