Effects Of Training For Peer Review In EFL Writing

The importance of teaching writing is commonly recognized since writing was first introduced to language classrooms. With the shift of teaching paradigm from the product-oriented writing to the process-oriented writing, peer work has been widely used in L1 context over the past decades. In recent years, researchers have recommended the process writing approach along with peer conferencing and peer review to the ESL writing teachers. In China, where language teaching is characterised with large classes, peer work is one of the solutions to the deficiency of professionals. More importantly, peer work helps to develop learner autonomy. However, the effectiveness of peer review in ESL writing classroom has been questioned with regard to the insufficient ability of language learners and their negative attitude toward peer review activity caused by cultural difference.According to Krashen's Input Hypothesis of SLA, language learners can get more comprehensible input in a low anxiety learning environment such as working with friendly classmates in small groups. Social constructive theory also provides peer work with much support from the psycholinguistic perspective: like-minded peers can benefit each other through cooperative and collaborative learning. Based on these theories and the author's teaching practice, she argues that the quality of peer review depends on how well students are prepared given the same language proficiency. Hence, the present study sets out to examine the effects of training for peer review on students' ability to comment, ability to write, and attitudes toward peer review.The study used pre-post test control group design to investigate the effects of training via teacher-student conference. Eighty-two non-English major freshmen participated this experiment over one semester. The teacher met students from the experimental group in threes to comment on student writing. The purpose is to demonstrate the application of criteria, the focus of comment, and the negotiation strategies. Students in the control group received no specific training except for the initial instructions that the experimental group also had at the beginning of the study.The study collected data from two questionnaires, two writing tests, students' comments on peers' writing along with students' first drafts and the second drafts. Results of multivariate ANOVA and univariate ANOVA of students' comments indicated that training students for peer response led to significantly more and better feedback to peers' writing.Frequency count of students' response to the questionnaire showed more students in the experimental group than in the control group favoured peer response activity. They viewed peer feedback as useful and helpful to the improvement of their writing quality. Quantitative analysis on the amount of revision done in light of peer feedback also confirmed the results of the questionnaire.Analysis of the writing scores students achieved in posttest indicated that students from the experimental group made more progress than those from the control group. This also proved the research hypothesis that training for peer response contributed to the improvement of the quality of students' writing.This study also explored triangulation through multiple measures, data sets, and methods, and came tothe conclusion that triangulation provided the researcher with better means to verify, clarify and illuminate theresearch findings. The integration of quantitative method with qualitative method improved the understanding of the research questions examined in this study.The findings of this study justified the use of peer review in EFL writing class, and more importantly,the necessity of training. Hence, the study is capable of giving some implications on the teaching of writing. First, EFL teachers can use peer review to raise learner autonomy and make students account for their own learning and their peers' learning. Second, because the key to benefiting from this technique is training, teachers should equip...