I have studied peer assessment in 9^th graders from a junior high school in biology. The purpose of this study is to investigate junior high school students’ perceptions of peer assessment in biology. The issues looked at were:

-       What are the student´s perceptions and experiences of peer assessment in biology?

-       What do students think is needed to work with peer assessment?

-       What is the students’ perception of how peer assessment affects their learning in biology?

I observed two groups of 12 students, working in pairs, as they performed a laborative exercise. One student performed the exercise while the other student evaluated what the student did. This was then followed by six semi-structured group interviews. Based on the interviews, I found that the students have predominantly positive perceptions and experiences about peer assessment. During the interviews students talked about the factors and conditions that peer assessment needs if it is to work well. For example a permissive classroom climate is needed as well as clear instructions given from the teacher. The pupils said that peer assessment positively affected their learning and motivated them to work more actively. Peer assessment is something that potentially has a large impact on student learning, if it is used correctly. To work with peer assessment the teacher must have knowledge about how different assessments affect students. The students need to know how to perform the assessment and how to use the response they will get from the other students.