Online Peer Feedback in Beginners’ Writing Tasks

Abstract

This study contributes to the body of research that aims to understandthe relationship between online communication and foreign language(FL) learning, in particular when teachers seek to provide authenticopportunities for interaction for their learners. The study wasmotivated by efforts made in the New Zealand context to overcome thegeographic limitations of interaction between FL learners and nativespeakers. We report on the findings of an exploratory study into anonline reciprocal peer tutoring program established to enhance the FLlearning of a group of beginner eleven-year old students of Spanish,with particular focus on the benefits of written corrective feedback. Theproject aimed to examine the processes by which students tutored eachother in the online environment as they responded to each other’s texts.The analysis of the students’ messages focused on (1) the aspects oflanguage corrected by the tutors, (2) the frequency with which tutorsaccurately identified and provided input on errors, (3) the types offeedback provided by the tutors, and (4) what the learners did with thecorrections and feedback. The findings indicate that the students werewilling to contribute to peer correction and used different strategiesand correction techniques to foster attention to linguistic form,although they were not always capable of providing accurate feedbackor metalinguistic explanations.

FOSTERING 21st CENTURY SKILLS USING AN ONLINE DISCUSSION FORUM IN AN ENGLISH FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSE COURSE

“…Such interactions are often considered meaningful in language acquisition as they encouraged the use of vital language features to construct the CP. The findings of the current study are similar to Pinto-Llorente et al ( 2017), Tolosa et al (2013) and Vinagre and Muñoz (2011).…”

“…Pinto-Llorente et al (2017) demonstrated that ODFs contributed to the development of grammar skills such as parts of speech, sentence types and vocabulary. Similarly, studies on language and writing development have investigated the success of the ODF platform in enhancing vocabulary, grammar and spelling (Tolosa et al, 2013;Vinagre & Muñoz, 2011). In the 21 st century, the ODF has become a relatively beneficial and prospective technical instrument, capable of attaining significant advancements in tertiary education through its potential to facilitate and alter education, as well as refine existing teaching and learning styles (Ahmadi, 2018) among instructors and learners (Sun & Chen, 2016).…”

The Effects of Online Feedback on ESL/EFL Writing: A Meta-Analysis

“…Chen (2016) qualitative synthesis found that online peer feedback may not always produce positive results. Some research investigating the quality of online peer feedback has noted that peer feedback was generally related to lower-order concerns due to students' linguistic limitations (Schultz, 2000;Tolosa et al, 2013). Other studies found that peers lacked confidence and strategies when using online feedback (DiGiovanni & Nagaswami, 2001).…”

Implementing Wiki as an Asynchronous Tool to Enhance the Grammatical and Lexical Accuracy of Saudi Secondary-School Learners’ EFL Writing

“…The findings are also consistent with those of Hsu (2019), which reveal that learners who are writing posts on wikis tend to focus more on grammar than on vocabulary. Similarly, Tolosa et al (2013) found that learners who are creating computer mediated feedback focus more on grammatical errors than on vocabulary errors. This explanation might explain why, in the present study, the grammatical accuracy of the experimental group improved over time.…”