Itseestimaatio

Itseestimaatio (self-assessment) is a process by which individuals evaluate their own performance, skills, knowledge, or attributes against established criteria or standards, with the aim of improving learning, work performance, or well-being. It involves reflection, judgment, and often the setting of development goals.

In education, self-assessment helps students become metacognitive learners. They assess their understanding, identify gaps, and monitor progress. Common methods include rubrics, checklists, learning journals, and portfolio reviews, often accompanied by feedback from teachers.

In workplaces, self-assessment is used in performance management and professional development. Employees reflect on achievements, skills, and goals, prepare development plans, and discuss results with supervisors. When combined with supervisor feedback, it can foster accountability and alignment with organizational objectives.

In health care and research, self-assessment appears as patient-reported outcomes and self-rated health, where individuals rate symptoms, functional status, or quality of life. This information contributes to care planning and evaluation of interventions.

Common tools include rubrics, Likert-scale surveys, reflective diaries, and e-portfolios. Effective self-assessment is anchored to clear criteria, exemplars, and structured reflection, and it often requires training to reduce biases.

Benefits include increased self-awareness, motivation, and ownership of learning or work; improvements in goal setting and adaptability. Limitations include subjectivity, over- or underestimation, cultural factors, and the need to corroborate with external feedback.

Best practices emphasize transparent criteria, safe feedback environments, alignment with external measures, periodic calibration, and combined assessment approaches (self, peers, and supervisors) to enhance reliability and usefulness.