University Honors

Self-reflection and self-assessment are an important part of the learning process and have beenan area of interest for educators aiming to improve student learning gains. Prior research hasfocused on how student performance is affected due to the implementation of self-reflectioncredit compared with more traditional performative and graded assignments, as well as thecorrelation between self-reflection and student achievement. This study further investigated theeffectiveness of self-assessment in the classroom by measuring the correctness and accuracy ofstudent self-assessment performance and its effect on summative assessments and learningmindset. This was measured by analyzing student work via low-stakes self-assessmentassignments in an organic chemistry lecture course. These assignments were intended to offerstudents the opportunity to self-assess without the need for instructor involvement. In addition toanalyzing student work, surveys on students' impressions of the assessment process and how itmight affect their learning mindset were administered. Our hypothesis was that students whoconsistently and accurately complete their self-assessments would be more strongly associatedwith higher summative assessment and overall course grades, as well as be associated with agrowth-oriented mindset. Key findings of the study include assignment complexity influencingself-assessment accuracy, with A-students excelling in high-complexity assignments.Furthermore, the majority of students maintain a fixed mindset with some inclination towardsgrowth-oriented ideas, as well as high levels of self-efficacy overall. This area of research isrelevant for instructors who wish to develop a curriculum that facilitates a growth mindset forstudents while simultaneously promoting subject-specific learning goals. This study furthers thisresearch by allowing the effect of self-assessment methods to be better understood and to allowfor more effective future implementations.