A Study On The Application And The Effect Of Peer Feedback In EFL Writing Class Of Senior High School

English writing ability is very important among all the four abilities of learners. Feedback,as"a central and critical contribution to the evolution of a piece of writing", is necessary and important to students. However, in the EFL context, error correction is always something that baffles teachers because of the large class size and the various errors or mistakes in students'compositions. Literature review indicates that peer feedback can be an alternative way to teacher correction. But few studies have been done on what pattern should be applied in order to achieve better effect when students perform the peer feedback activity, and what attitude the high school students have towards peer feedback. This study aims at the exploration of the answers to these questions through a tentative experiment.Two intact classes of senior grade three students (40 students in each class) are involved in the present research. The students in these classes receive three tests of the same level on writing during the study to determine their writing abilities. In the treatment class, the students first receive some training on how to provide feedback, then they practise peer feedback during the writing session. The subjects are asked to work in groups of two during the first experimental period and during the second in groups of four; whereas the control group follows the traditional way of teacher responding. Questionnaires and interviews will be used in the study to inquire students'attitude, suggestions and possible effect about peer feedback. The whole experiment lasts 16 weeks.The findings of the study demonstrate the positive effect of the use of peer feedback but its effectiveness should lie in how the instructor divides his group. It is also necessary for teachers to review their final draft.