MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING QUY NHON UNIVERSITY CHAU NGOC NHU QUYNH TEACHERS' AND STUDENTS' PERCEPTIONS AND PRACTICES OF PEER FEEDBACK IN EFL WRITING PROCESS Field: Theory and Methodology of English Language Teaching Code: 8140111 Supervisor: Bui Thi Dao, PhD BỘ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO TRƢỜNG ĐẠI HỌC QUY NHƠN CHÂU NGỌC NHƢ QUỲNH NHẬN THỨC CỦA GIÁO VIÊN, HỌC SINH VÀ THỰC TRẠNG VỀ PHẢN HỒI NGANG HÀNG TRONG QUÁ TRÌNH VIẾT TIẾNG ANH Ngành: Lý luận và phƣơng pháp dạy học bộ môn Tiếng Anh Mã số: 8140111 Ngƣời hƣớng dẫn: TS. Bùi Thị Đào i STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP I certify that, unless otherwise stated in the study report, all of the work done and interpretations made were done by me. I certify that this work has not been submitted anywhere in any other form for the fulfillment of any other degree or certification and is being presented in partial fulfillment of my M. in Theory and Methodology of English Language Teaching.
Binh Dinh, November 2023 CHAU NGOC NHU QUYNH ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Firstly, I must say that I owe a lot to my supervisor, Dr. Bui Thi Dao, who with her extensive knowledge, practical experience, contagious enthusiasm, and meticulous attention to detail motivated and guided me from the research idea to the final version of this report. Without the guidance of my supervisor, who has been very supportive, this work would not have been feasible. Secondly, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to everyone who contributed their time to my study.
Without their excitement and openness, I would not have been able to gather crucial information for my study. For the time we spent together as well as the knowledge and experience we shared with one another, I also want to express my sincere appreciation to all of my lovely classmates. In order for me to complete my course, their unwavering support and inspiration are extremely valuable. The support of my family has been crucial to me while I pursued this initiative, and that is the last but not least.
My parents have always encouraged and directed me in my pursuits, therefore I would want to thank them. They epitomize good examples of behavior. Finally, thanking everyone who supported me in completing my thesis and wishing them well. iii ABSTRACT The investigation of peer feedback in the EFL writing process is the primary subject of this study.
The purpose of the study is to learn how teachers and students used peer feedback in writing courses, how they perceived it, and any difficulties they encountered. Through questionnaires, interviews, and classroom observations, the data were gathered both quantitatively and qualitatively. The interview, observation data not only agrees with the questionnaire data, but also reveals fresh and intriguing findings. The results showed that most educators and students had favorable opinions about using peer feedback in English writing.
Despite the fact that most instructors and students believed that the peer feedback approach was helpful, several of them expressed dissatisfaction with this because of various obstacles to peer assessment's effective implementation. The study underscores the shared understanding of peer feedback's significance for enhancing writing abilities, critical thinking, and self-improvement in ELF writing classrooms. To reduce issues and optimize the use of peer criticism in teaching writing skills, practical recommendations are provided, emphasizing clear instructions, productive dialogue, and a supportive learning environment. Keywords: peer feedback, EFL, writing skills, benefits, challenges.
v TABLE OF CONTENTS STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP. iii ABBREVIATIONS AND CONVENTIONS. viii LIST OF TABLES. ix LIST OF FIGURES.
Rationale for the study. Aim and objectives of the study. Objectives of the study. Scope of the study.
Significance of the study. Structure of the thesis. 4 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW. Definitions of writing.
Types of writing. The importance of writing. Peer feedback definition. Objectives of Peer Feedback.
Importance of Peer Feedback in Language Education. Definition of perceptions. Types of Perception. Teachers' and students’ Perceptions of Peer Feedback.
Practices of Teachers and Students in Peer Feedback. Previous related studies. 14 vi CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY. Research setting and participants.
Data collection instruments. Data analysis methods. FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION. Findings from the questionnaire.
Findings from the questionnaire for teachers. Findings from the questionnaire for students. Findings from interviews. Findings from the classroom observation.
The first observation. The second observation. The third observation. CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS.
Teachers' Perception and Practices. Student’s Perception and Practices. Implications for Educators. Implications for EFL Teachers .Implications for Material Designers.
Implications for Pedagogical Contribution. Limitations of the study. Suggestions for further studies. 1 viii ABBREVIATIONS AND CONVENTIONS EFL: English as a Foreign Language ix LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Teachers’ Demographic Information.
19 Table 2: Students' Demographic Information. Description of the items used for the survey. 22 Table 4: Teachers’ perceptions and practices of the advantages of peer feedback. Teachers’ perceptions and practices of the disadvantages of peer feedback.
30 Table 6: Students' perceptions and practices of the advantages of peer feedback. Students' perceptions and practices of the disadvantages of peer feedback. 38 x LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Frequency of the use of peer feedback in the classroom.
26 1 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION This chapter begins by discussing the use of peer feedback in the context of education around the world and Vietnam. It then describes the rationale for the study, the research aim, objectives, and the research questions. This is followed by the scope and the significance of the study. Finally, there is an overview of the organization of the study.
Rationale for the study Writing, according to Hyland (2003), is a vital ability in the context of teaching English as a Foreign Language (EFL) that has to be honed and improved over time. The EFL writing process is a dynamic and complicated endeavor that calls for a variety of abilities and approaches to be successful. Additionally, writing ability is crucial for EFL students to effectively engage and communicate in English, both within the classroom and in everyday contexts. In EFL classes, the traditional teacher-centered approaches to writing education are frequently employed, where the instructor gives comments and edits to students' written work.
In recent years, As Dooly & O'Dowd (2018) stated, an emphasis on enabling students to actively participate in their learning has, however, led to a rise in interest in student- centered and collaborative learning techniques. Peer feedback is important for language acquisition, according to several academics. In Topping (2005)’ ideas, peer feedback has the potential to enhance students' self-regulation and metacognitive skills as they engage in evaluating and providing feedback to their peers. Min (2006) shows that peer feedback, sometimes referred to as peer evaluation or peer review, has become recognized as an effective educational strategy to improve EFL writing abilities as well as foster their independence in language acquisition.
Additionally, Van Gog and Schram (2007) state that peer feedback can 2 enhance writing abilities and deepen comprehension of the writing process. Peer feedback may help students in this process by assisting them in identifying their strengths and flaws and by offering helpful criticism to help them improve their writing, as Zhang (2015) states. Despite its potential benefits, Lee (2008) says peer feedback remains underutilized in EFL writing classes, and limited research exists on how teachers and students perceive and utilize it. The significance of peer feedback in language learning, particularly in the EFL writing process, forms the foundation for justifying this study.
For the reasons above, this research has been done to give a thorough knowledge of how teachers and students see and use peer feedback during the EFL writing process. It provides insights on instructors' and students' attitudes regarding peer feedback, its effectiveness, its drawbacks and ways for incorporating it into their teaching practices by examining their points of view through questionnaires, interview, observation. Additionally, analyzing students' perspectives reveal information about their motivation levels, attitudes toward giving and receiving criticism, and the effect of peer input on their writing ability. Aim and objectives of the study 1.
Aim of the study This study was carried out in order to investigate teachers and students’ perceptions and practices about peer feedback in the EFL writing process. Objectives of the study The researcher attempted to accomplish the following goals: - To investigate teachers and students’ perceptions of peer feedback in the writing process. - To explore teachers and students’ practices of peer feedback in the writing process.3 Research questions The study was carried out to answer the following questions: 1. What are teachers’ and students’ perceptions about the advantages and disadvantages of peer feedback in English writing? 2.
How are teachers and students’ practices of using peer feedback in English writing? 1. Scope of the study Writing feedback, which includes comments from instructors and peers, is a fairly broad issue. The research could not address both of them due to the constraints of an MA thesis; instead, it focused on how teachers and students perceived and used peer review during the English writing process. 96 students and 5 English teachers from high schools participated in the research.
A combination of surveys, interviews, and observation were used to gather the data. Significance of the study The results of this study can help design teaching and learning methods for languages that are more effective and efficient, specifically in teaching English writing to high school students. Despite its limitations, this study has significance for both theoretical and practical contributions. Theoretically, this study provides teachers’ and students' perception about peer feedback in English writing.
This study can add to the theory of teaching English writing using peer feedback and can be used as a reference for other studies in the field. Practically, through peer evaluation, this research also enhances the development of learner autonomy and collaborative learning, encouraging engaged students. The study also provides workable ideas to enhance the feedback process by addressing problems that instructors and students have with utilizing peer feedback. 4 To sum up, this information can have an impact on the creation of language education policies and curricula that prioritize peer review as a crucial step in the writing process.
Structure of the thesis The thesis consists of five chapters: Introduction, Literature Review, Methodology, Findings and Discussion, Conclusion and Implications. Chapter 1, Introduction, presents the rationale, which introduces the reasons why the researcher chose to conduct the study, the aim and objectives, the research questions, the scope, the significance, the definition of important terms and the structure of the thesis. Chapter 2, Literature Review and Theoretical Background: shows some previous relevant studies and relevant theoretical background for the study. Chapter 3, Methodology, explains the research methods.
Firstly, it presents the research approach. Secondly, it describes the participants. Thirdly, it introduces the research instruments used to collect data. Lastly, this chapter comes to an end with the procedure to conduct the study.
Chapter 4, Findings and Discussion, reports the results of the study. First of all, the reliability of the instruments is introduced. Then, the information collected from the questionnaire is analyzed. Finally, the data from the interview is analyzed in order to give an in-depth explanation of the findings of the study.
Chapter 5, Conclusion and Implications, concludes the report of the study. First, it summarizes the main findings of the study. Then, it suggests the research implications. Finally, the limitations of the study and the suggestions for future research make the last part of this chapter.
5 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW This chapter presents the main concepts and terms building the theoretical foundation of the study. In this chapter, peer feedback in the EFL writing process is written and explained in detail. Finally, previous related works conducted by other researchers are reviewed in terms of their focuses and findings.