Promoting agentive feedback engagement through dialogically minded approaches in doctoral writing supervision

Sun, Xiujuan; Trent, John Gilbert

doi:10.1080/14703297.2020.1861965

Cited by 6 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…In contrast, participating in Critical Friends required students to be an active participant in feedback, where they had to respond to concerns, misinterpretations and explain their writing choices (Constantino, 2010). It is within these types of dialogic feedback spaces that doctoral students can develop a sense of agency (Sun and Trent, 2020), signaling development of both researcher and writer identity.…”

Section: Discussion: Implications For Doctoral Educationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Good critical friends are hard to find: promoting peer review among doctoral students

Tyndall

Powell

2023

SGPE

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Purpose This study aims to examine entry-level PhD students’ experiences with participating in Critical Friends, a peer review protocol, used to support learning the threshold concept of literature review. It also sought to determine if, and how, students used the peer review protocol electively during their first year of doctoral study. Design/methodology/approach The authors used a sequential, QUAL-qual mixed-method design to guide the study. Reflective learning journals, surveys and interviews were collected from three cohorts of PhD students (N = 18). Findings Thematic analysis revealed that giving and receiving writing critique was uncomfortable for these novice peer reviewers and many described emotional disciplining associated with vulnerability. Critical Friends offered a safe space to begin mastery of the literature review and begin transforming new researcher and writer identities. While Critical Friends was a positive experience for students, they struggled implementing the protocol on their own following the course. Practical implications These findings support the need for faculty to embed peer review opportunities in courses during the first year to facilitate role modeling and mentoring. The findings also demonstrate the need to engage students with peer review early in the program to increase comfort, cultivate student resiliency for accepting critical feedback and build capacity for students to learn with and from others. Originality/value This paper advocates for the use of peer review practices early in the doctoral study to promote the development of researcher identity and positioning within the research community.

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Section: Discussion: Implications For Doctoral Educationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Good critical friends are hard to find: promoting peer review among doctoral students

Tyndall

Powell

2023

SGPE

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“…Socialization in the academic community includes learning the discipline's conventions and values. Dialogic feedback facilitates this socialization (Spies et al, 2021;Sun & Trent, 2022) but it can also facilitate students finding their authority and voice (Kumar & Aitchison, 2018). Ongoing back-andforth exchanges about writing, such as commenting on work, asking questions about writing choices, and providing academic resources to consult and use as models to facilitate learning about academic conventions (Sun & Trent, 2022).…”

Section: Dialogic Feedback and Scholarly Identitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Dialogic feedback facilitates this socialization (Spies et al, 2021;Sun & Trent, 2022) but it can also facilitate students finding their authority and voice (Kumar & Aitchison, 2018). Ongoing back-andforth exchanges about writing, such as commenting on work, asking questions about writing choices, and providing academic resources to consult and use as models to facilitate learning about academic conventions (Sun & Trent, 2022). Students can then use their developing knowledge about standards and conventions to justify research and writing decisions thereby developing authority in their writing (Spies et al, 2021;Sun & Trent, 2022).…”

Section: Dialogic Feedback and Scholarly Identitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Students often cannot decipher the supervisor's "fuzzy" comments. Although some supervisors are skilled feedback providers, others are inarticulate when providing feedback (Spies et al, 2021;Sun & Trent, 2022), leaving doctoral students unsure about how to use the feedback to further their writing development. This type of feedback falls short of the clarity for writing expectations doctoral students need (Gupta et al, 2022) and often neglects support for developing more non-cognitive skills such as autonomy and authorial voice.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The ongoing and individualized nature of dialogic feedback positions students as active participants in feedback as they revisit and reinterpret feedback over time. Dialogic feedback also facilitates motivation and persistence in the writing process (Spies et al, 2021;Sun & Trent, 2022).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Writing Feedback and the Success of English as an Additional Language (EAL) Doctoral Students: The Role of Dialogue

Griffin Spies,

Carcoba-Falomir,

Sarisahin

et al. 2023

IJDS

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Aim/Purpose: Scholars and practitioners agree that feedback is critical to doctoral students’ academic writing development, yet effective feedback processes are complex. The purpose of this case study was to examine the role of dialogue in a Writing Feedback Group (WFG) in facilitating the development of the scholarly writing of English as an Additional Language (EAL) doctoral students. The research question that guided this study was: How does dialogue within a writing feedback group create opportunities for EAL doctoral students to advance their knowledge and skills pertaining to scholarly writing? Background: Traditional doctoral student writing feedback, characterized as monologic and unidirectional, positions students as passive learners and is difficult for students to use to improve their writing. Dialogic and bi-directional feedback positions students as active learners as they engage in ongoing verbal and/or written exchanges about their writing. Examinations of verbal feedback on doctoral writing show face-to-face exchanges are a source of motivation and necessary for in-depth exchanges about ideas. There is limited understanding, however, as to how dialogue facilitates doctoral students’ development as scholarly writers. This case study examines the dialogue of EAL doctoral students as they read and respond to one another’s scholarly writing. Methodology: This was a qualitative case study of an established writing group. Four EAL doctoral students and one faculty member participated in this study during a 16-week semester. Conversational turns during 12 feedback sessions were analyzed using inductive coding with an interpretive approach to allow research findings to emerge from the data. A constant comparative method was used to classify and compare codes and categories and identify themes related to the study’s research question. Contribution: The findings from this study contribute to the body of knowledge on the role of dialogic feedback in doctoral writing development. The findings show how doctoral students’ dialogue about one another’s writing created critical learning experiences for their writing development. This study provides an explicit and systematic approach to dialogue in writing feedback groups. Findings: Dialogue scaffolded EAL doctoral students’ translation of their complex knowledge to accessible text and helped them respond to the rhetorical context. Dialogue also facilitated doctoral writers’ awareness of the importance of precise language and structural organization for readers of their academic writing. Recommendations for Practitioners: The WFG established a platform for doctoral students to try out their writing and to actively engage with others in receiving and providing ongoing feedback. It is suggested that institutions of higher education create ongoing opportunities for doctoral students to discuss scholarly writing. Writing feedback groups can take many forms, including established groups embedded into coursework or between advisor and advisees. Recommendation for Researchers: This study examined the dialogue of a writing feedback group whose process was highly structured. To develop a deeper understanding of the influence of dialogue on writing, it should be studied in various types of writing groups. Impact on Society: Research and scholarship are critical to advancing our society. Doctoral students who speak English as an additional language bring distinctive cultural perspectives to research. Their voices and research are critical to future academic literature. Future Research: The findings from this study highlight how dialogue in a writing feedback group afforded doctoral students ongoing opportunities to give and receive feedback on critical academic writing skills on their individual current writing projects. Further research is needed to understand the role of dialogue in the WFG on doctoral students’ enduring understanding and the application of academic writing skills on future writing projects.

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Enhancing feedback practices within PhD supervision: a qualitative framework synthesis of the literature

Bearman,

Tai,

Henderson

et al. 2024

Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education

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Promoting agentive feedback engagement through dialogically minded approaches in doctoral writing supervision

Cited by 6 publications

References 20 publications

Good critical friends are hard to find: promoting peer review among doctoral students

Good critical friends are hard to find: promoting peer review among doctoral students

Writing Feedback and the Success of English as an Additional Language (EAL) Doctoral Students: The Role of Dialogue

Enhancing feedback practices within PhD supervision: a qualitative framework synthesis of the literature

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