Enhancing peer-assessment in first-year chemistry: a comparative study of scaffolding to build confidence and feedback literacy

Peer-assessment supports learning in undergraduate Chemistry, but students can find it challenging, often due to low confidence and concerns over feedback quality. This work focuses particularly on how discipline-specific feedback and academic literacy training and integrated activities of previewing, learning, and reviewing in the context of essay writing enhance both confidence and perceived value of peer feedback in Chemistry. Two cohorts were compared: the 2023/24 cohort ( N = 44) using the original design, and the 2024/25 cohort ( N = 28) using a revised Academic Skills Centre session with an integrated support framework, for example, sample essays, clearer rubrics, and a co-taught review workshop. Post-intervention in 2024/25, 96% of students found the process improved greatly from 43% in 2023/24, a marked descriptive increase. With regard to confidence in giving feedback, this rose from 14% of students who reported high levels of confidence at the outset to 61% post-activity. Most students agreed that giving and receiving feedback improved their work, at 86% and 82%, respectively; importantly, 43% learnt more from giving than receiving feedback. This integrated support framework and activities provided a practical approach to conducting peer assessment for Chemistry educators on designing effective pedagogical activities.