Feedback From Peer Ratings And Its Effects On Revising Activities In EFL Writing Classroom

In recent years, peer rating activity has been popular in ESL writing class. Many researchers have been exploring the nature and effectiveness of peer rating. However, lack of research on feedback of peer rating leads to the present study. The purpose of this study is to describe and summarize the feedback generated during ESL college students’peer rating and the way the feedback shaped students’revision activity. Additionally, students’attitudes towards peer rating are also analyzed.Based on the main research questions, the writer proposes three hypotheses. The first one is that feedback of the peers and feedback of the writer as a teacher has a close relationship with each other. The second one is that most students will, to some extent, revise their essays with the help of peer feedback. The third hypothesis is that most students will hold a positive attitude towards peer rating.To examine the three hypotheses, the writer organized peer ratings in which50students participated. During these peer rating students gave feedback by asking questions, offering explanations, giving suggestions, restating their peers’writing text and correcting grammar mistakes. After the peer ratings, transcripts of peers’oral presentations and the students’first and second drafts were analyzed, and post-interviews and questionnaire were conducted.By analyzing the types of peers’feedback, the writer found that there exist some similarities between peers’and teacher’s feedback. Moreover, although students used their peers’feedback to revise their essays, they incorporated some feedback selectively. Finally, the post-interviews and questionnaire revealed that they found peer ratings useful and held positive attitude towards peer rating.The findings of this study support the need to include peer ratings in L2writing class, and verify the value of peers’feedback in students’essay revision activities.