Investigating Teacher Feedback In Senior High Schools’ Writing Classes In China

Writing instruction remains challenging in EFL contexts.To solve the problem,writing feedback as an important and regular activity has a pivotal role to play in writing classes,but teachers consider feedback time-consuming,inefficient,complex,and even confusing.Despite the challenges teachers face in writing feedback,for one thing teacher feedback will have a great impact on students’ text revisions,writing improvement as well as their motivation in writing and for another EFL learners in China have a preference for teacher feedback due to the authority;thus,how teachers respond to students’ writing is worth attention from teachers,researchers,and educators.Given the background,this survey study attempts to answer the following questions:1.What are the teacher feedback practices in senior high schools’ English writing classes in China?2.What are the underlying factors that contribute to teacher feedback practices?The study collected questionnaire data and follow-up interview data from English writing teachers in senior high schools in southwestern China.After analyzing questionnaires from 103 participants,it was found that most of the teachers claimed to use integrated feedback from teachers,classmates,and students in writing with a focus mainly on content,language,and handwriting and stress the importance of the model essay.Typically,responding to errors,giving comments,and grading students’ writing were primary components of written feedback for most of teachers.In error correction,a selective way of correcting errors with a mixed use of direct or indirect error correction strategies was adopted;concerning the writing commentary,most teachers used statement and imperative sentences to make text-specific comments on students’ writing mainly in order to encourage students or remind them of their problems in writing among a variety of intentions.To provide oral feedback,teachers preferred feedback class for the whole class rather than one to one writing conferences.There were major differences between two groups of teachers differing in years of teaching in selective error correction,students’ awareness of teachers’ feedback practices,and focus of writing comments.Convergence and mismatches were found compared with the recommended principles of writing feedback.Data analysis of interviews from 10 participants showed the factors influencing teachers’ feedback practices including teacher factors,learner factors,and contextual factors.Teacher perceptions of writing,feedback,impartiality of feedback,and their responsibility in feedback,teacher perceived effectiveness of feedback,training and knowledge in feedback,teacher prior experience,and their personal characteristics constituted the major influencing factors relating to teachers themselves.The second type referring to student factors involved students’ engagement with feedback,their language proficiency,their efforts put in writing,their awareness of self-evaluation,and writing motivation.Taking contexts into consideration,the exam culture,time constraint,teaching pressure,and various writing tasks also affected how teachers gave feedback.In addition,teachers’ feedback practices were a dynamic and changing process impacted by learning community,teaching reflection,and professional training.Based on findings of the study,it suggests that teachers need to improve their feedback literacy by actively engaging in well-designed training programs on writing instruction and feedback and collaborating with teachers,schools,and researchers so as to change the perceptions and practices of writing feedback;secondly,modern technology such as diagnostic assessment tools may be applied and wisely used in writing classroom as it supports writing instruction with evidence.