Peer feedback and writing skills

Abstract

There are numerous innovative feedback teaching methods used currently, and in our society Peer feedback is considered as one of the most significative models when it is about improving the writing performance in the foreign language teaching. Students see this strategy as a chance to expand their social skills. Indeed, peer feedback involves a collaborative learning experience because learners have to evaluate each other and offer ideas, opinions or recommendations. Quasi-experimental research was applied to do this project in which a pre-test, a treatment and a post-test helped to compare the enhancement of students writing performance. Bibliographic research was carried out because many articles, thesis and previous studies related with the topic were carefully analyzed. Certainly, a mixed approach was taken into account as this study is qualitative because of the pre-test and post-test scores obtained were compared at the end. Similarly, qualitative approach was used as it was required to describe the aspects in the writing performance of students. The treatment pretended to have the students working on written activities based on FCE writing section and commenting feedback to their peers works, so they can be aware of their mistakes and improve their writing skills. The results from pre and post test were analyzed through SPSS software according to Shapiro-wilk normality. Wilcoxon signed rank test was applied to illustrate the advance students got after the treatment. Although in the pre-test the average score was 5,875, in the post-test it was 8.025. Consequently, it can be concluded that peer feedback boosted the students writing skills in terms of content, organization register, vocabulary and grammar.