Work

The role of performance level descriptions for the effects of rubrics on self-assessment accuracy and performance

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Rubrics are widely used to enhance self-regulated learning and academic performance, yet the specific roles of their main components (i.e., assessment criteria and performance level descriptions) remain unclear. Using the case of a writing task (i.e., writing an abstract for a scientific article), the present experiment (N = 236) employed a 2×2 factorial design to isolate the effects of the component of performance level descriptions on self-assessment accuracy after an initial writing phase and on performance gains in a revision phase. Results showed that performance level descriptions significantly improved learners’ self-assessment accuracy and entailed differential effects on revision performance. When provided before the revision phase (i.e., during self-assessment), performance level descriptions fostered effective revision, but only for learners who already performed relatively well in the initial writing phase. For learners who performed poorly in the initial writing phase, by contrast, performance level descriptions during self-assessment did not foster – and in some analyses even hindered – subsequent revision. When provided during revision, performance level descriptions scarcely affected performance. The findings underscore the importance of performance level descriptions for accurate self-assessment but not necessarily for task performance, offering guidance for optimizing rubric design in educational practice.

Source: Metacognition and Learning

DOI: 10.1007/s11409-026-09492-y

Authors: Rebecca Krebs, Julia Waldeyer, Björn Rothstein, Ernesto Panadero, Julian Roelle