The perceived effectiveness of written peer feedback comments within L2 English academic writing courses

Abstract

Abstract.At one Estonian university, we have designed a course to support the writing skills of doctorate students who need to write scientific articles for publication in their L2 English. We provide this support by placing these students into small discipline-specific writing groups where they periodically give and receive written feedback on their draft articles. Knowing what may constitute an effective feedback comment will enable us to improve upon current pedagogical practices. In this study, we develop a coding scheme to measure the impact of both affective and non-affective feedback comments on the peer feedback process. We use this scheme in tandem with questionnaires to assess the effectiveness of postgraduate peer feedback comments as perceived by both L1 Estonian doctoral students and expert writing assessors. Within this context, the results suggest that cover letters and the tone of feedback comments have a noticeable impact on the peer feedback process.*

Using author-devised cover letters instead of instructor-devised rubrics to generate useful written peer feedback comments

“…This study has determined that authors use a similar amount of social presence within their CLs (contained within 43% of TUs). Researchers have shown that students as both reviewers and feedback recipients both use and value affective language in written peer feedback comments (Cho, Schunn, and Charney 2006, Gee 1972, Yallop and Leijen 2018, and this perception seems to also hold true regarding authors as self-assessment providers. Furthermore, and within a sociocultural framework, studies show that high social presence within communities of inquiry can promote cognitive presence by developing a sense of community (Cahusac de Caux et al 2017, Garrison, Anderson andArcher 1999).…”

“…Thus, a useful CL should help reviewers write useful feedback comments, and useful feedback comments are likely to exert a positive affect and/or a positive effect on the author's revision process. However, and apart from studies conducted by the authors (Yallop, 2016;Yallop, 2017;Yallop & Leijen, 2018;Yallop, Taremaa & Leijen, in press), there seems to be little research into how CLs can be used to generate useful written feedback comments in tandem with, or instead of, rubrics within the peer feedback process within any educational context.…”

“…CLs, on the other hand, may help to improve communication between the author and his/her reviewers. There is evidence that reviewers within doctorate writing groups appreciate and carefully adhere to the instructions within CLs (Yallop, 2016;Yallop, 2017;Yallop & Leijen, 2018;Yallop, Taremaa & Leijen, in press). The reviewers appreciate CLs because it helps them generate useful feedback comments.…”

“…As research suggested that CLs can strongly influence the type and nature of generated feedback comments (e.g. Yallop & Leijen, 2018), later courses placed a much stronger emphasis on the importance of the CL. Consequently, the paired student who attended the course in 2019 received extensive instruction on how to compose a CL.…”

“…The author uses one indicator of social presence (see Yallop and Leijen, 2018, for concise treatment) that is affective in nature.…”