The impacts of peer assessment on critical thinking competence: An epistemic network analysis

Critical thinking competence has recently become a popular topic in education research; however, it is insufficiently researched in tourism education. This study seeks to evaluate the effectiveness of peer assessment in developing critical thinking skills in a Chinese context. Peer assessment data were collected through group news presentations and individual assignments of college students studying tourism management. An epistemic network analysis was conducted to examine the role of peer assessment in students' critical thinking competence. The findings show that students’ critical thinking skills significantly improve as peer assessment activities are conducted, with higher-level critical thinking skills clearly emerging at a later stage of peer assessment activities.