Peer review in vocational education and training requires not only technical competences but also soft skills that support collaboration, trust, feedback and shared decision making. This study describes the construction and pilot validation of a self-assessment scale designed to measure the soft skills needed to participate effectively in quality peer review processes. Starting from a competency framework previously defined for peer review roles, we developed behaviour-based items referring to everyday actions, written to reduce ambiguity and allow self-evaluation also for people without direct peer review experience. The initial pool included 8 items for each of 10 dimensions. The pilot study involved 75 participants with different levels of familiarity with self-assessment and quality processes. Item analysis and content review were combined to select a parsimonious final version.
The final instrument includes 50 items rated on a 5-point Likert scale, with 10 subscales of 5 items each: adaptability, active listening, attention to detail, collaboration, clear communication, facilitation, critical thinking, problem solving, resilience and time management. Correlations between the 8-item and 5-item versions were always above .90, indicating strong continuity. Internal consistency coefficients ranged from .74 to .89. Compared with the original 8-item version, the 5-item version showed psychometric properties that were, on average, slightly better and more homogeneous across subscales. The scale was designed to support profile reading by role and to identify strengths and areas for development in peer review teams.
The results support the current 5-item version as a practical and conceptually coherent tool for formative and organizational use. Further studies on larger samples are needed to confirm the structure and extend validity evidence.