A Study Of The Effects Of Peer Feedback Modes On Chinese EFL Learners' Writing

Advantages of peer feedback on improving writing quality,fostering reader awareness and cultivating cooperation and interaction among students have been widely acknowledged.It is necessary to choose appropriate feedback modes in order to successfully employ peer feedback for teachers,for example,to choose from peer written and/or oral feedback.Although numerous studies have been conducted on peer feedback both at home and abroad,inadequate attention has been paid to peer feedback modes.Therefore,this study tries to explore the effects of peer feedback modes on Chinese EFL learners' writing,focusing on the differences of feedback focuses when written or oral peer feedback is given,the effects of noticing triggered by different peer feedback modes on revision and students' attitudes towards peer feedback modes.Twenty participants were involved in this study,and each of them was required to finish two compositions.Peer written and oral feedback were given to provide comments on each composition respectively.After feedback,they revised their initial drafts.And their experiences and opinions on peer feedback were derived through questionnaires and interviews.By analyzing textual materials,audios recorded with oral feedback,questionnaires and interviews,overall positive effects of peer feedback modes were found on students' writing.In terms of feedback focuses,students focused on grammar and content of the writing.Most peer feedback was reasonable and the proportion of negative feedback was high.As to the effects of noticing triggered by peer feedback,high adoption rate of peer feedback and improvements on scores of revised writings were found.Besides,students showed positive attitudes towards both written and oral peer feedbackand preferred to receive the combination of them.Based on the findings,the author concludes that peer feedback modes have positive effects on Chinese EFL learners' writing and students hold positive attitudes towards peer feedback modes.As a result,the two peer feedback modes are recommended to be flexibly used inteaching of writing.Besides,adequate preparations and sufficient training are essential to guarantee the comprehensibility and accuracy of peer feedback.At last,teachers are suggested playing the role of instructor and supervisor when they employ peer feedback in classes,and timely encouragement as well as positive feedback is indispensable to enhance students'confidence.