On Effects Of Training Students For Peer Evaluation In College English Writing Class

This study sought to investigate the effects of training students for peer evaluation in College English writing class. Three questions were addressed: 1. What are the students'attitudes toward the use of peer evaluation in EFL writing instruction? 2. What are the effects of training students for peer evaluation in College English writing class? 3. And how to facilitate the successful practice of training students for peer evaluation?104 students in Kunming University of Science and Technology are involved in the 10 weeks'research. They are from two intact classes of non-English major sophomores taught by the researcher herself and randomly assigned to experimental and controlled conditions. The experimental group receives peer evaluation training before the study and these students'compositions are discussed through peer evaluation sessions, whereas the controlled group follows the traditional way of teacher feedback. Questionnaire I is administered to all students before the study. Questionnaire II and an interview activity are only administered to the experimental group after the study. Students'writing ability, at the beginning and end of the study is measured among the two groups by the comparison of holistic scores between the pre-test and post-test.Students'responses to the two questionnaires and their accounts in the interviews show: 1. Training students for peer evaluation could positively improve students'attitudes toward English writing and peer evaluation. More students in the experimental group than those in the controlled group favors writing and peer evaluation. 2. Training students for peer evaluation does greatly influence students'writing ability. Students view peer evaluations as useful and helpful to the improvement of their writing ability. The comparison of the holistic scores between the pre-test and post-test reveals that students from the experimental group made more progress than those from the controlled group. 3. And much may be done to facilitate the success of training students for peer evaluation in EFL writing class.The results of the study indicate the positive effects of training students for peer evaluation in College English writing class. The use of peer evaluation is beneficial and applicable to improve college students'writing ability,and it should be seen as an important complementary source of teacher feedback in the EFL writing class. Therefore, the study is capable of giving some future implications on the College English writing teaching.