| This thesis reports an empirical study on the effects of peer feedback on the writing performance of Chinese EFL learners at different proficiency levels. It aims at exploring the extent to which the Chinese EFL learners at different proficiency levels receive and incorporate peer feedback into writing and the extent to which they benefit from the practice of peer feedback. It also reveals the students' attitudes toward peer feedback and shows the individual processes of incorporating peer feedback into revisions.The present study examines 34 three-year students majoring in International Trade in the Continuing Education School of Southern Yangtze University through three writing tasks, a questionnaire survey and interviews. Detailed analyses of the data yield the following major findings:(1) In general, much of the peer feedback is incorporated into the second drafts. As far as the amount of the peer feedback received and incorporated is concerned, there are significant differences among students at different proficiency levels. The intermediate students obtain the most amount of peer feedback, while the high level students incorporate the least amount of peer feedback. The low level students receive the least amount of peer feedback, but they incorporate the most.In terms of different language aspects', the similarities are found at all proficiency levels about the amount of feedback obtained on grammar, vocabulary and organization. All of the peer feedback focuses primarily on grammar and vocabulary and pay the least attention to organization: whereas significant differences are found concerning the feedback incorporated on content, and organization and mechanics. Comparatively speaking, high-level students incorporate more comments on content, while intermediate and low-level students incorporate more comments on mechanics and organization. With regard to organization, the low-level students receive and incorporate the most amount of feedback.(2) All the students have benefited from peer feedback, but the degree of theprogress varies among students at different levels. The intermediate students make greater progress than high-level students, and comparatively speaking, the low level students have not made much progress.(3) Considering changes in students" attitudes toward peer feedback, the high and intermediate level students tend to think over the written comments more carefully than the low level students. All the students welcome oral discussions on written comments. Judging from the perspective of different language aspects, most of the high proficiency level students consider feedback on content to be most valuable, while intermediate level students consider feedback on grammar to be most valuable. As for low-level students, they declare that feedback on mechanics is the most useful. Students at all levels show decreased dread for writing. They show greater interest in writing and develop a more correct attitude toward making mistakes.(4) All the students are agreed that peer feedback does help them to revise and improve their writing to some extent. They think that peer feedback can raise their awareness of strengths and weaknesses in their own writing, enhance a sense of "real'" audience, encourage collaborative language learning, foster an ownership of text and improve their thinking from different perspectives.These findings have implications for the teaching of English writing in China, in light of the findings, this thesis suggests that the practice of peer feedback should be strongly advocated and widely enforced in the context of Chinese EFL teaching. Peer feedback is not a substitute for teacher feedback. It should be seen as a necessary complementary source of feedback in the teaching of EFL writing. In addition, teachers should be flexible when implementing peer feedback in different classes. In order for peer feedback to work more effectively, teachers should plan and organize this activity carefully and take into consideration individual differences among students at different proficiency levels.
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