Abstract:

Peer learning, as an important means to promote students’ deep learning, is a consensus in both Chinese and Western educational cultures. Currently, there is a tendency to trace back only to Western theories, such as social cultural theory and interaction theory, when discussing peer assessment to promote learning. It is crucial to draw nourishment from Chinese learning culture to provide cultural insights from China for the international development of peer assessment research, thereby promoting mutual learning and exchange in language education. This article aims to trace the origins of peer assessment by reviewing the traditions of Chinese learning culture. Following the development trajectory from ancient times to the present, it traces the main related peer learning cultures back to Confucius’ theory of peer learning, the theory of shared appreciation and critique of poetry and prose, as well as the culture of critique and self-critique in revolutionary periods. These cultural traditions provide an ideological foundation for the value and principles of peer assessment in Chinese education and offer traditional nourishment for the practical approaches and methods of peer assessment teaching.

Key words: peer feedback, peer learning, study companion, Chinese learning culture, critique and self-critique