University Students' Reactions to Guided Peer Feedback of EAP Compositions

The Journal of College Literacy and Learning

International Reading Association

Lugar: Cincinatti; Año: 2009 vol. 35 p. 19 - 19

0738-9523

he teaching of academic writing both in L1 and L2 acknowledges the usefulness of providing feedback along the process of composing particularly at tertiary level, where revision and multiple writing are consistently required. Teacher feedback has been the object of many studies but peer feedback has not received the same amount of attention, especially in EFL academic contexts. This study was carried out to explore university students’ attitudes towards peer feedback. One hundred and eight Argentine university students participated in a twelve-week classroom intervention. Then, students completed a survey and teachers were interviewed about their perceptions of the students’ reactions to the instructional practice. Results showed that students tend to value peer feedback when they receive adequate training and guidance and when they work in a non-threatening atmosphere that favours interaction and collaboration. The results obtained may be informative for EFL writing teachers as to th