An Empirical Study Of SOLO Classification Theory In Teacher’s Written Feedback

Since the process of teaching method is introduced in English writing, English writing is not only the final result, but the process of teaching method in one process. With the introduction of the process approach, the feedback plays an important role. However teachers often ignore English writing, teachers in daily teaching seldom pay much attention to the training of English Writing. And the feedbacks for the students’ compositions are only roughly correct grammars, vocabularies and other surface errors, for the content, organization structure and other parts of the feedbacks are relatively ignored. So this article takes the English writing in junior middle school as the breakthrough point. Dig into and analyze what problems are existed in the feedback of English Writing. And try to use the SOLO classification theory proposed by Biggs to do an experiment research on the feedback of English writing.This study is divided into two parts. The first part of this research uses the questionnaire survey, the interview method and so on to investigate the feedback approach to the use of first-line teachers in English Writing, students’ attitude towards feedback, traditional feedback’s content, students expect feedback forms. And the survey results were divided into three parts: teacher feedback, student feedback and writing text. Through investigation it is found that: First nearly half of the students take negative attitudes towards the use of feedback in English writing teaching. Students for their mistakes in writing won’t modify or even look at the wrong correction by the teacher in the writing. Second teachers’ feedback on writing is mostly confined to grammars, vocabularies, writing norms, such as the surface of the errors, and as for the ideological content, the organization structure of the text, sentence diversity and other deep-seated errors are ignored. Third most of the students expect teachers give correction and guidance in the ideological content, text structure, sentence variety etc. To explore the reasons, through the interviews with the teachers and students, it is found that on the one hand, large scale examination pay more emphasis on grammar, vocabulary, etc. Teachers in the usual teaching are also more emphasis on these aspects of feedback. On the other hand, Teachers’ daily teaching tasks are too many, so there is no time and energy finding a new and appropriate feedback method. For the above-mentioned reason and taking into account the SOLO classification theory is a kind of special evaluation of the subjectivity, the author attempts to apply the SOLO classification theory to the feedback of English writing, and make a relevant experimental study, namely the second part of this study. The students were divided into experimental group and control group. The teacher uses two kinds of feedback to revise and evaluate the English writing of the two groups respectively. Two groups of students modify their own compositions on the basis of the teacher’s feedback. And two groups of students hand in their final drafts. The experimental study founds, firstly, the SOLO classification theory has more feedback on the content, organization structure and the diversity of the sentence than the teacher’s own traditional feedback mode, and the content of the feedback is more comprehensive. Secondly at the same time, the experimental group than the control group students in the ideological content, discourse structure, sentence variety, etc. has more revisions. Thirdly the experimental group of students English writing scores is slightly higher than those of the control groups. Also in middle school, students’ English basic knowledge and students’ self-correction ability are weak, so in the wrong place, the teacher shouldn’t point out them but also give some guidance and correct them. It is found in the questionnaires and interviews in the follow-up most of the students are more in support of SOLO classification theory, they think that as a new feedback method, the SOLO classification theory is more comprehensive and effective. SOLO classification theory provides a theoretical basis for the evaluation of English writing and improves the validity of English writing evaluation. It conforms to the development of quality education. But the SOLO classification theory as the feedback mode of English writing has its deficiencies. SOLO classification theory is introduced from abroad, education situation and the environment are different in our country, so its application to the feedback of English writing needs to adapt to the actual situation of China’s English teaching.To explore good way to improve teachers’ feedback in English Writing, an empirical study of SOLO classification theory in English writing has provided some cases and exploration. At the same time, it also puts forward some new methods for the English teachers’ feedback in English writing.