Effects of Peer Feedback on L2 Students’ Writing

This study explored the effect of peer feedback practices over a 12-week semester on the development of Korean EFL learners’ writing abilities at both the global level (i.e., organization and content) and the local level (i.e., grammar, vocabulary, and mechanics). High school students from two intact classes were assigned to either an experimental (n=24) or a comparison (n=24) condition. Both groups took pre- and post-writing tests. The experimental group took part in peer-review training and peer reviews, whereas the comparison group engaged in self correction and regular English instruction. In the post-test, the peer-review group achieved a higher mean total writing score than the comparison did. A multivariate analysis of variance revealed that the peer review group significantly outperformed the comparison group in terms of organization, content, and grammar. Participants who display more positive attitudes toward peer reviews benefited more than those who did not hold a favorable view toward feedback Pedagogical implications for peer reviews in EFL classes are discussed.